20th September 2023
NIAMEY – The former president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a military coup on July 26, has made an appeal to the West African bloc’s court to secure his release, according to his lawyer Seydou Diagne.
Bazoum, who has been under house arrest with his wife and child since the coup, filed a lawsuit with the court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on September 18. The lawsuit argues against his “arbitrary arrest” and “violation of freedom of movement.” Diagne stated, “We request… in view of the violation of political rights, that the State of Niger be ordered to immediately restore constitutional order by handing over power to President Bazoum, who must continue to exercise it until the end of his mandate.”
ECOWAS has already imposed substantial sanctions against Niger and warned of potential military intervention if diplomatic efforts fail to reinstate Bazoum. The coup in Niger occurred within a region grappling with a jihadist insurgency, following similar overthrows in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
If the ECOWAS court rules in favor of Bazoum, Diagne stressed that “Niger has the legal obligation to execute the decision.” Meanwhile, the leaders of the coup in Niger have declared their intention to “prosecute” Bazoum for “high treason and undermining internal and external security.”
In a show of support for ECOWAS’s stance, the European Union (EU) reiterated its call for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Bazoum and his family. EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali stated, “The EU position is clear and unchanged: the EU does not recognize authorities emanating from the putsch. President Bazoum remains the sole legitimate president of Niger.”
These developments come in the wake of the EU ambassador to Niamey, Salvador Pinto da Franca, being summoned by Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine.
As this situation continues to unfold, the international community watches closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Niger, which has broader implications for stability in the West African region.
