The West African bloc ECOWAS has been left fuming over threats by Niger’s military rulers to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, stressing that this contradicted the regime’s declared willingness to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the coup leaders who toppled Bazoum said late Sunday they had gathered evidence enabling them to prosecute Bazoum for ‘high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.’
This, it pointed, was based on ‘contacts’ Bazoum had had with ‘nationals… foreign heads of state… (and) officials in international organisations.’
In a statement on Monday, ECOWAS said it had learned of the threats ‘with stupefaction’.
‘It represents yet another form of provocation and contradicts the reported willingness of the military authorities in the Republic of Niger to restore constitutional order through peaceful means,’ the bloc said.
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Africa Today News, New York reports that since the coup, Bazoum, 63, and his family have been detained at the president’s official mansion, raising concerns about his living conditions.
Recall that last week, a multitude of supporters endorsing the Niger coup flooded the streets on Friday, protesting against the intentions of West African nations to deploy a military force into the country, as a key regional meeting focused on potential intervention was abruptly cancelled.
The ECOWAS had shown the green light for a ‘standby force to work towards the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected. The EU’s highest-ranking diplomat has voiced worries about the conditions of Bazoum’s detention since his removal by his guard members on July 26.
According to regional military sources, the chiefs of staff representing member states of the West African bloc were scheduled to convene a meeting in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Saturday.