After a group of prominent Islamic scholars indicated the country’s coup leaders are open to talks to end their dispute with West Africa’s regional union, the Niger military announced that it would pursue ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for treason.
A military spokesman for Niger described the accusations against Bazoum as “high treason and undermining the internal and external security” of the nation in a statement read out on public television late on Sunday (August 13, 2023).
Since the coup on July 26, Bazoum, 63, and his family have been kept at the president’s official mansion in Niamey, where there is growing concern about their living conditions.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened military involvement in Niger if civilian government is not restored and demanded the reinstatement of Bazoum.
However, the West African bloc has stated it is still committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the issue and has approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger.
Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, the military’s spokesman for Niger, said in a statement on Sunday (August 13, 2023) that there was no need to worry about Bazoum’s health because he had already seen a doctor the day before.
“After this visit, the doctor raised no problems regarding the state of health of the deposed president and members of his family,” he said.
Continuing to criticize the ECOWAS sanctions against Niger, Abdramane claimed that the “illegal, inhumane, and humiliating” actions were making it impossible for people to acquire energy, food, and medicine.
Following a meeting with Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the coup in Niger, in Niamey, a delegation of Nigerian Islamic scholars declared that the general had agreed to hold “direct talks” with ECOWAS.
The purpose of the Nigerian team to Niamey, according to Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, was to establish a “venue whereby the leaders of the junta coup in Niger will have a dialogue with the leaders of ECOWAS to understand each other.”
Tchiani “accepted to have fully direct discussions with the leaders of ECOWAS” during their meeting, he claimed.
With the approval of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who also serves as the president of ECOWAS, the Muslim scholars traveled to Niamey. Six coups have occurred in ECOWAS member states since 2020, and Tinubu has taken a strong position against each one.
The EU has cut off energy and financial services and blocked its borders with landlocked Niger, preventing one of the world’s poorest nations from receiving imports that it desperately needs.
Tension thrill as the border between Nigeria and Niger is heavily armed with military men. It is clear evidence that the Niger military is not ready to let Bazoum out.
Al Jazeera’s reporter Ahmed Idris, who is close to the border said, the charges against Bazoum were likely to “increase tensions between the military in Niger and the international community”.
“This statement is an indication the military isn’t about to let Bazoum go. The charges they’ve announced could result in very serious repercussions for Bazoum,” Idris said.
“This could be an attempt by the military to further strengthen their hand in future negotiations,” he added.
The possibility of a military intervention to restore Bazoum has caused discord among ECOWAS members and prompted threats from neighboring nations like Algeria and Russia.
Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s neighbors who are also run by military administrations that seized power in coups, have declared that intervention would be the equivalent of declaring war on them.
Tchiani sent a delegation to Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on Saturday (August 12, 2023) to express gratitude to local authorities for their support. This was a hint of the coup leaders’ willingness to reaffirm their alliances as they face down regional and other powers. The delegation was led by General Moussa Salaou Barmou, Tchiani’s chief of defense.
We are Africans at large. In a video posted late on Saturday (August 12, 2023) night by the presidency, Guinea’s interim president Mamady Doumbouya is heard saying, “When our people have problems, we are always there and we will always be there.”
Many Western countries, who saw Niamey as a partner in the Sahel region with whom they could cooperate to quell a spreading revolt by organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), consider the coup in Niger to be a huge setback.
Together with other European nations, the United States and France have stationed more than 2,500 military soldiers in the area and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on military assistance and training for the Nigerian military.
