About a week ago, Niger’s President Bazoum was declared ousted after a military coup. Now, as the “hostage” of the putschists, he has turned to the international community with a warning and an appeal.
For the first time since he was overthrown in a military coup a week ago, Niger’s incumbent President Mohamed Bazoum has spoken out. In a guest article for the Washington Post, he warned that the coup would have “devastating consequences” for the country and beyond Niger’s borders. He therefore appealed to the international community to save the “last bastion of respect for human rights” in the Sahel and to support the country in restoring constitutional order.
“I’m writing this as a hostage,” Bazoum points out in the post. He was arrested on July 26 by officers of the Presidential Guard and declared disempowered. The commander of the elite unit, General Abdourahamane Tiani, subsequently proclaimed himself the new ruler. Shortly thereafter, the putschists suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
“Niger was attacked by a military junta (…) and I am just one of hundreds of citizens who have been arbitrarily and unlawfully arrested,” he said. “This coup must end and the junta must release everyone it has unlawfully arrested,” Bazoum wrote.
Country at the “Turning Point of its History”
His government came to power in democratic elections in 2021, the president-elect continued. Any attempt to overthrow a legitimate government must be stopped. He appreciates the clear condemnation of “this cynical attempt to undermine the remarkable progress that Niger has made as a democracy.” The United States, the African Union, the European Union, and the West African community of states, ECOWAS, have all spoken out loud and clear.
Only by defending common values such as democracy and respect for the rule of law can progress be made in the fight against poverty and terror. His country is at a turning point in its history.
The country is an important partner for Western countries in fighting illegal migration and terrorism. In the Sahel, dozens of militias affiliated with IS or the terrorist organization al-Qaeda regularly carry out attacks.
Putschists are negotiating with Mali and Burkina Faso
The new rulers in Niger are meanwhile looking for allies: the deputy head of the Nigerien military junta, General Salifou Modi, traveled to the neighboring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also ruled by the military after coups. Both have pledged their support to Niger, Modi said, particularly in the area of security. The sanctioned ECOWAS members Mali and Burkina Faso had previously warned the international community against military intervention in Niger.
ECOWAS had given the self-proclaimed ruler Tiani an ultimatum. If President Bazoum is not reinstated by Sunday, measures will be taken that could include sanctions and violence, it said. It is feared that this could further escalate the conflict.
In the meantime, the President of neighboring Nigeria has called for a peaceful solution. Before the departure of an ECOWAS delegation to Niger, Head of State Bola Tinubu called for “everything necessary to ensure a final and amicable solution to the situation in Niger”, according to the Presidential Office.
On Thursday, Niger’s Independence Day, supporters of the putschists demonstrated in the capital Niamey against the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS. “Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina,” read a placard held up by a protester. “Down with France, ECOWAS, EU.”