Following the recent coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the leaders of the coup in Niger have officially declared their intention to bring charges against the deposed president.
International concerns have been mounting regarding the conditions under which they are being detained.
Following the recent coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the leaders of the coup in Niger have officially declared their intention to bring charges against the deposed president.
The coup leaders conveyed their decision in a statement delivered by a member of the junta on national television late Sunday, August 13, 2023.
Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, the spokesperson for the military regime, announced that the Nigerian government has amassed substantial evidence to prosecute the former president and his alleged accomplices, both from within the country and abroad.
The charges primarily revolve around accusations of high treason and the undermining of the internal and external security of Niger.
“Bazoum and his associates are to be held accountable before both national and international authorities for their alleged involvement in acts of high treason and their actions that jeopardized the security of the nation,” Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane stated in the televised address.
Since the coup unfolded on July 26, President Bazoum, aged 63, and his family have been held in confinement at the official presidential residence located in Niamey. International concerns have been mounting regarding the conditions under which they are being detained.
On Bazoum’s health
Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, in his statement, also responded to concerns about Bazoum’s health. He asserted that the deposed president had received medical attention from his doctor the previous day, and no health-related issues were reported.
Meanwhile, the military regime criticized sanctions imposed on Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), branding them as “illegal, inhumane, and humiliating.”
The sanctions, which were enacted in response to the coup, have reportedly hampered the populace’s access to essential resources like medicines, food, and electricity.
One of the military regime’s members, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, conveyed the sentiment that the people of Niger were suffering due to the repercussions of these sanctions.
