Overthrown Niger President Charged with High Treason? Junta statement

The leaders of Niger’s ruling junta announced that President Bazoum could be charged with high treason and endangering Niger’s security. Maj Amadou Abdramane, spokesman for the military authorities, said on Niger’s public television that “the necessary evidence has been gathered to bring charges against the deposed president and his local and foreign associates to the appropriate national and international authorities for high treason and the undermining Niger’s internal and external security.” .

The profession of the president

President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in a coup on July 26. He and his wife and son have been under house arrest ever since. Addressing the United States and the international community through the media, Bazoum appealed for “restore constitutional order” in Niger.

“This coup, launched on July 26 against my government by a faction of the armed forces, has no justification. If successful, it will have devastating consequences for our country, our region and the whole world,” Bazoum wrote. in the Washington Post. . According to people close to the president, his property has had its electricity and water cut off and they are running out of food. The junta denies these reports.

The threat of military intervention

From the outset, Niger has been called upon by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to release and reinstate President Bazoum. The bloc consists of 15 countries, of which Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea have been suspended due to military coups.

The leaders of Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries are not ruling out military intervention in Niger. After meeting in Abuja, they called for the deployment of military forces “to restore constitutional order in the Niger Republic”. They emphasize that intervention is a last resort. The military governments in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali sided with Niger.