The military junta that seized power in Niger last month has said it will prosecute the deposed president for treason, even as an intermediary said coup leaders were open to talks with West African countries that had threatened to intervene militarily, the first sign of a thaw after nearly three weeks of rising tensions.
Since mutinous soldiers detained president Mohamed Bazoum of Niger on July 26th, they have kept him isolated in his private residence in Niamey, the capital, with his wife and one of their sons; dissolved his government; and, according to US officials, vowed to kill him if West African countries intervened militarily.
Late on Sunday, the junta member acting as a spokesperson, Col Amadou Abdramane, said Mr Bazoum would face charges of “high treason” and “undermining the internal and external security of Niger” after the democratically elected president spoke with foreign leaders and international organisations while in detention.
Speaking on Monday, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the proposed prosecution of Mr Bazoum as “very worrying”. Mr Dujarric told reporters: “We remain extremely concerned about the state of being, the health and safety of the president and his family, and again we call for his immediate and unconditional release and his reinstatement as head of state.”
The coup in Niger last month set off one of the most severe political crises in recent years in West Africa, following a series of military takeovers in a region already troubled by Islamist insurgencies, some of the world’s most extreme effects of climate change and widespread poverty.
It has also raised questions about the future of western assistance in Niger, which under Mr Bazoum was a favoured recipient of funds from European countries hoping to stem migration to their continent and a security ally of countries such as the United States. More than 2,500 western troops are posted in Niger to train the country’s military and help track extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
A West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, has said it would activate a “standby force” to intervene against Niger’s coup leaders if Mr Bazoum is not released and reinstated. On Monday it said it was shocked to learn of attempts to bring charges against Mr Bazoum. In a statement, the bloc said the move was a form of provocation by Niger’s coup leaders and contradicts their reported willingness to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis.
But experts doubt that countries already struggling with domestic insecurity and underequipped militaries could mount a successful operation against a Nigerien military that has received years of western training. They also warn that a regional conflict could have devastating consequences in an area where extremist groups have extended their grip in recent years.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, the current chair of the West African bloc, has said that force would be used as a last resort. On Sunday, Niger’s coup leaders said they were open to dialogue with the bloc, according to a religious figure from Nigeria who was received by the junta leader, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, as part of mediation talks.
[ Why is it that the coup d’etat in Niger generates so little interest?Opens in new window ]
From his private residence, Mr Bazoum has remained in contact with foreign officials including US secretary of state Antony Blinken, as well as some members of his government. He has called on the US to help restore constitutional order in Niger, writing in an opinion essay published this month in the Washington Post that the military junta was holding him hostage.
Mr Bazoum also told Human Rights Watch last week that he was without electricity and fresh food, and that those detaining him had refused to let his son, who he said has a heart condition, get medical treatment.
On Sunday, Col Abdramane said the new government had gathered enough evidence to prosecute Mr Bazoum based on his communications with foreign heads of state and international organisations.
He gave no details on the allegations, nor a date for a trial. Under Niger’s penal code, treason is punishable by death.
Col Abdramane also said a doctor had visited Mr Bazoum and his family on Saturday and had not raised alarms about the family’s health, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Hours earlier, thousands of junta supporters had thronged the country’s largest stadium for the second weekend in a row, as a popular pro-military singer gave a concert in tribute to the country’s new leaders.
Praising the new general in power, the crowds sang “Say Tchiani”, or “We need Tchiani” in Hausa, one of the main languages spoken in Niger. The tune was once a signature of Mr Bazoum’s supporters, who chanted “Say Bazoum” during his successful 2020 presidential bid.
On Sunday, there was no mention of the democratically elected president in the stadium’s stands. - This article originally appeared in The New York Times.