JUST IN: SON OF NIGER REPUBLIC’S DEPOSED PRESIDENT RELEASED ON PROVISIONAL BAIL
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Agency Report
A military tribunal in Niamey said on Monday that Salem Bazoum, the son of Niger president Mohamed Bazoum, who was overthrown in a coup last year, had been granted interim freedom.
Salem Bazoum was granted “provisional release,” according to a court document seen by AFP, after being detained alongside his parents when the presidential guard assumed control on July 26, 2023.
“It is up to him to respond to justice as soon as he is required to do so,” the paper stated.
The parents of the 22-year-old are still being held at the presidential palace.
Salem Bazoum arrived in the Togonian city of Lome on Monday evening, according to a source close to the deposed president who spoke to AFP. He had left Niamey.
The Togolese government issued a statement confirming that Bazoum was freed following negotiations mediated by Togo and Sierra Leone, but it provided no information regarding his current location.
Following the toppling of elected President Bazoum, which sparked worldwide outrage, military leaders have taken control of Niger.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the military, has stated that a return to a civilian government might take up to three years.
A number of West African nations, including Togo, have engaged in mediation with the military government of Nigerien.
According to Nigerien state television, Togo’s foreign minister, Robert Dussey, met with the prime minister of Niger, who was installed by a junta, on Monday while he was in Niamey.
This came after Dussey stated he and the prime minister had agreed “on the content and timing of the transition” during a trip in mid-December.
The recently installed military government in Niger has moved away from its previous close European allies, most notably France, and towards two of its neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, both of whom have recently had military takeovers.
In December, the final French soldiers left Niger.
Similar to its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger has experienced ongoing bloodshed by jihadists, especially in the region known as the “Tri-border area,” which connects the three Sahelian nations.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also placed severe financial and economic sanctions on Niamey following the overthrow of Bazoum.
In this poorest country in the world, there is a dearth of basic goods like medicine and rising food prices.
A number of nations, including Togo, have reportedly loosened their stance towards the Nigerien government.
Last month, Patrice Talon, the president of Benin, demanded that ties with neighbouring Niger be restored as soon as possible.
After five months of sanctions, Benin removed its ban on imported commodities passing via the Port of Cotonou on their way to Niger one week later.
Niger is still barred from ECOWAS, which has stated that one of the requirements for the lifting of sanctions is Bazoum’s release and reinstatement.
A number of the deposed government’s former officials are in jail, while others have fled into exile.
Ibrahim Yacoubou, the former minister of energy, was detained last week when he returned to the nation.
AFP
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