Mohamed Bazoum – ousted by military last month – could face death penalty if found guilty
Niger’s mutinous soldiers have said they will prosecute the country’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, for “high treason” and undermining state security.
If found guilty, Bazoum could face the death penalty, according to Niger’s penal code.
Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the coup leaders, said on state television on Sunday night that the military regime had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute before competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices for high treason and for undermining the internal and external security of Niger”.
The announcement said high-ranking west African politicians and “their international mentors” had made false allegations and attempted to derail a peaceful solution to the crisis in order to justify a military intervention. It said Bazoum was being charged following his exchanges with these people. The statement did not identify specific western countries and did not specify a date for the trial.
Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected president, was ousted by members of his presidential guard on 26 July and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey.
People close to the president as well as those in his ruling party say the family’s electricity and water have been cut off and they are running out of food. The junta dismissed these reports on Sunday night and accused west African politicians and international partners of fuelling a disinformation campaign to discredit it.
International pressure is growing on the junta to release and reinstate Bazoum. Immediately after the coup, the west African regional bloc Ecowas gave the regime seven days to return him to power and threatened military force if it did not happen, but that deadline came and went with no action from either side.
Last week, Ecowas ordered the deployment of a “standby” force, but it is still unclear when or if it would enter the country. The African Union peace and security council is meeting on Monday to discuss Niger’s crisis and could overrule the decision if it feels wider peace and security on the continent would be threatened by an intervention.
But as time drags on there is growing uncertainty and mixed messages are mounting.
On Sunday evening, before the military accused Bazoum of treason, a member of the junta’s communication team told journalists the regime had approved talks with Ecowas that would take place in the coming days. Also on Sunday, a mediation team of Islamic scholars from neighbouring Nigeria who had met the junta on the weekend said the regime was open to dialogue with Ecowas.
Previous attempts by Ecowas to speak with the junta have foundered, with its delegations being barred from entering the country. The apparent newfound openness to talks could be a result of pressure from the bloc, including severe economic and travel sanctions that are already taking a toll on the impoverished country’s 25 million people, but it does not mean there will be any progress, say Sahel experts.
“Let’s see what these negotiations actually look like, because it’s also in the junta’s benefit to in the least entertain talks. That doesn’t mean they’ll be serious about them,” said Aneliese Bernard, a former US state department official who specialised in African affairs and is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group.
In a memo from Senegal’s security forces dated 11 August, seen by the Associated Press, it ordered a “regroupment” from bases in Senegal on Monday as part of its contribution to the Ecowas mission in Niger. It was unclear what exactly was ordered to move, or where it was going.
In the weeks since the coup, the junta has entrenched itself in power, appointing a new government and leveraging anti-French sentiment against its former colonial ruler to shore up support among the population, creating a tense environment for locals who oppose the junta as well as many foreigners and journalists.
In a statement on Sunday, the board of directors for the Press House, an independent Nigerien organisation that protects journalists, said local and international media were being threatened and intimidated by Nigerien activists who supported the junta and it was deeply concerned about the “very difficult climate” they were operating in.
Since the coup, jihadist violence has also been rising. Niger was seen by western nations as one of the last democratic countries in the Sahel region they could partner with to beat back growing violence linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State. The US, France and other European countries have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into propping up Niger’s military. Since the coup, France and the US have suspended military operations.
source: Guardian
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