The daughter of deposed Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has made a explosive accusation, naming his predecessor as the “mastermind” of the military coup that toppled her father’s administration in a dramatic power grab nine months ago.
Deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and his wife have been held in a gilded cage since the military coup on July 26, confined to the presidential palace in Niamey as the new regime consolidates its power.
President Bazoum’s election two years ago was a groundbreaking moment in Niger’s history, as he took the reins from President Mahamadou Issoufou in the country’s inaugural peaceful transition, setting a new standard for democratic succession.
“The hardest thing to accept was to discover that Mahamadou Issoufou was the mastermind who orchestrated everything out of egocentrism and to protect his personal interests,” Bazoum’s daughter Hinda Bazoum wrote in an article for Nigerien newspaper L’Autre Republicain.
“The coup would enable him to return to power after a short military transition during which a new constitution would be adopted,” she claimed.
As a close confidant and steadfast supporter of Mahamadou Issoufou, General Abdourahamane Tiani, the junta’s chief, has played a pivotal role in Niger’s political hierarchy, with a bond that has endured through the years.
Before ascending to the presidency, Mohamed Bazoum served as interior minister and trusted lieutenant to Mahamadou Issoufou, who demonstrated a rare commitment to democratic principles by voluntarily ceding power after two terms, paving the way for a peaceful transition.
Read also: Niger Junta Rejects Offer To Free Ex-Leader Mohamed Bazoum
“It is very painful for us to know that their oppressors are people we knew and with whom we had cordial relations,” his daughter wrote.
“He, who was close to our parents for 33 years and saw us grow up… he, my father’s friend and brother, is betraying him in the most cowardly and cruel way.”
In July, Issoufou posted on social media that he intended to negotiate with the junta to restore Bazoum to the presidency.
According to Hinda Bazoum, Issoufou’s “latest trick” was to petition the new state court to lift Bazoum’s immunity and then have him sentenced by the military court, so that Issoufou would be the “only candidate” of their party in the event of presidential elections at the end of a transition period.
For her and her sisters, she said “our lives no longer have any meaning and ended on July 26”.
“In fact, my sisters and I are upset and bruised, because the last time we spoke to our parents was on October 18, 2023.”
She urged “national and international opinion to mobilise in order to put an end to this cruel ordeal for our family”.
As Niger struggles to maintain stability, the country faces a daunting dual threat from jihadist insurgencies in both the southwest and southeast regions: one spawned from the Malian conflict in 2015, and the other fueled by extremists from northeastern Nigeria, putting the government and its citizens on high alert.