“The Nigerien government has to date gathered” the “evidence to prosecute before the competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices, for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger”, declared Sunday August 13 Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, one of the members of the regime, in a press release read on national television.
The government bases its accusations on “exchanges” of Mohamed Bazoum with “nationals”, “foreign heads of state”, and “responsible for international organizations”. Regarding the deposed president, the regime called for “questioning the sincerity of his claim to maintain that he is sequestered, even though the soldiers have never taken over his presidential residence and he still has all communication means”.
Mohamed Bazoum met several times with representatives of countries allied with Niger before the coup, such as the United States, and members of his political entourage. The soldiers also ensure that President Bazoum “regularly receives visits from his doctor”. According to an adviser to the overthrown president, a consultation took place on Saturday.
“After this visit, the doctor did not raise any concerns about the state of health of the ousted president and his family members,” the military added. Mohamed Bazoum, held in his presidential residence since July 26 – the day of the coup – with his son and his wife, had declared in several media to be a “hostage”, then deprived of electricity and forced to eat only rice and pasta.
“Humiliating” penalties
In addition, the military regime denounced “the illegal, inhuman and humiliating sanctions of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)”, taken during a summit of the organization on July 30. During this, the West African states announced, among other things, the suspension of financial and commercial transactions with Niger, which is economically and energetically dependent on foreign countries. These sanctions “go so far as to deprive the country of pharmaceutical products, foodstuffs” and “supply of electric current”, deplored the soldiers in their press release.
These statements come after the military regime welcomed a delegation of Nigerian Muslim religious leaders on Saturday, led with the agreement of Nigerian President Tinubu, also at the head of ECOWAS, to “ease the tensions created by the prospect of a military intervention” of the organization. According to a statement from the Nigerian Religious Mediation, the head of the military regime, General Abdourahamane Tiani, had “declared that his door was open to explore the path of diplomacy and peace in order to resolve” the crisis.
Last Thursday, during a new summit, the leaders of ECOWAS had reaffirmed that they favored diplomatic means to restore President Bazoum to his functions, while ordering the mobilization and deployment of the ECOWAS “standby force”. The timetable and terms of a possible West African military intervention have not been disclosed. But Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, whose country will contribute to this force, said Thursday that it should be able to intervene “as soon as possible”.