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Lawyers for Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted on July 26, 2023, have again contacted ECOWAS to demand his release two days before the West African organization’s summit. Bazoum is currently detained by the ruling military.
In a press release sent to AFP, Bazoum’s international lawyers group urged ECOWAS heads of state to demand the immediate release of Bazoum and his wife Hadiza ahead of a summit scheduled for Sunday in Abuja. The collective’s coordinator, Me Mohamed Seydou Diagne, said the deposed president should be among the heads of state gathering this weekend.
Mohamed Bazoum and his wife have been “arbitrarily” detained since the coup almost a year ago. The lawyers stressed that they have never been brought before a magistrate or informed of any proceedings against them. Since October 19, they have been kept in complete isolation from the outside world, receiving only visits from doctors.
In mid-June, Niger’s national court lifted Bazoum’s immunity, sparking concerns about a possible trial. Bazoum is accused of conspiracy, treason and financing terrorism, and faces the risk of being sentenced to death, according to another of his lawyers, Me Moussa Coulibaly. The group called on ECOWAS to intervene to prevent the deposed president from suffering an unjust fate.
May Diagne insisted that ECOWAS had a responsibility to protect their democratically elected colleague from arbitrary detention and to ensure that he was not forgotten or unjustly condemned. The current situation is serious and requires immediate action by regional authorities.
Meanwhile, the Alliance for the Sahel (AES) summit will bring together for the first time the heads of the military regimes of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This economic and defence cooperation could influence decisions taken at the ECOWAS summit.
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