Niger’s mutinous soldiers have declared their intention to charge ousted President Mohamed Bazoum with “high treason” and the act of jeopardizing state security.
This announcement came shortly after the junta expressed their willingness to engage in discussions with West African countries to address the escalating regional turmoil.
If proven guilty, Bazoum could potentially be subject to the death penalty as outlined in Niger’s penal code.
Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television 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” have 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 July 26 and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey.
Individuals within the president’s inner circle and those affiliated with his ruling party have revealed that the family’s access to electricity and water has been severed, and their food supplies are dwindling.
The junta, however, refuted these claims on Sunday night and accused West African politicians and global partners of spreading misinformation to undermine the junta’s credibility.
Mounting international pressure is urging the junta to release and reinstate President Bazoum.
Following the coup, the West African regional organization ECOWAS issued a seven-day ultimatum for the regime to restore him to power, threatening potential military intervention if the demand went unmet.
Yet, this deadline came and went without any actions from either side.
In the past week, ECOWAS authorized the deployment of a standby force, though the timing and feasibility of its entry into the nation remain uncertain.
On Monday, the African Union Peace and Security Council is convening to discuss Niger’s crisis, potentially overturning the decision if it perceives broader continental peace and security to be compromised by an intervention.
As time passes, uncertainty grows and conflicting messages accumulate. On Sunday evening, before the military accused Bazoum of treason, a member of the junta’s communication team informed journalists that talks with ECOWAS had been approved and were scheduled for the upcoming days.
Simultaneously, an Islamic scholar mediation team from neighboring Nigeria, which had met with the junta over the weekend, conveyed that the regime was receptive to dialogue with ECOWAS.
Previous ECOWAS attempts to engage with the junta encountered obstacles, with their delegations being denied entry into the country. The newfound willingness to engage in talks might be influenced by ECOWAS’ pressures, encompassing significant economic and travel sanctions that are already impacting the country’s impoverished population of approximately 25 million.
Nonetheless, Sahel experts suggest that this does not guarantee substantive progress in the dialogue.
’Let’s see what these negotiations actually look like, because it’s also in the junta’s benefit to at least entertain talks.
That doesn’t mean they’ll be serious about them,” said Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official who specialised in African affairs and is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group.
But while talk of dialogue ensues, so does military mobilisation.
In a memo from Senegal’s security forces dated Aug. 11, seen by The Associated Press, it ordered the “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 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 support the junta and it was deeply concerned about the “very difficult climate” they were operating in.
Since the coup, jihadi violence is also rising. Niger was seen by Western nations as one of the last democratic countries in the Sahel region it could partner with to beat back growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
France and the United States, and other European countries have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into propping up Niger’s military. Since the coup, France and the United States have suspended military operations.
On Sunday, Nigerien security forces were ambushed by fighters believed to be with the Islamic State group, who attacked them on a dozen motorcycles, according to a security report for aid groups seen by AP.
This, combined with another attack last week claimed by the al-Qaida linked group known as JNIM, signify a new phase of the conflict where groups are trying to consolidate power, and it’s largely a consequence of the suspended military operations, said Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Centre, told The Associated Press.
“This is due to the halting of cooperation and the military being busy consolidating their coup in Niamey,” he said. It’s also a result of cutting communication and dialogue attempts with some jihadi groups, which had been established under Bazoum, he said.
A former jihadi, Boubacar Moussa, told the AP that since the coup he’s received multiple phone calls from active jihadis saying they have been celebrating the chaos and greater freedom of movement.
Moussa is part of a nationwide programme that encourages jihadi fighters to defect and reintegrate into society, however, it’s unclear if that programme will continue under the military regime. As the situation evolves, he believes jihadis will take advantage of the security gap and launch new attacks.