The Niger junta has claimed that it will charge former President Mohamed Bazoum with high treason as a result of his communications with foreign heads of state and international organizations.
In a statement that was shown on state television late on Sunday, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the Junta, claimed that the military authorities had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”
On August 10, leaders in West Africa increased their condemnation of Niger’s coup-plagued government by ordering the deployment of a reserve army for the area to help reestablish democracy.
Political unrest has engulfed the Niger Republic ever since Bazoum was deposed in a coup d’état by the presidential guard late last month.
Days later, in retaliation, ECOWAS imposed sanctions and gave the ruling military junta one week to disband or face military intervention.
That deadline expired on August 6 without altering the political landscape. The ECOWAS leaders have declared that they would only send soldiers if all other diplomatic options had failed.
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The leader of the Niger Junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, has nonetheless consented to consider diplomatic discussions.
Tchiani made this declaration on Saturday during a meeting with the Nigerian intervention team, which was led by Bala Lau, the group’s national coordinator and was composed of Islamic specialists.
It was discovered, according to Ali Zeine, the Prime Minister of the Niger Republic, that Tchiani was ready for a discussion and expressed the hope that the talks with ECOWAS would take place soon.