Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected president who
has been toppled by the military junta, is reportedly living in a hostile
situation.
In a series of text messages to a friend obtained by CNN on
Wednesday, Bazoum said he has been “deprived of all human contact” with no one
supplying him food or medicine.
The ousted president said all the perishable food he was
supplied with has since gone bad and he is now forced to eat dry pasta and
rice.
According to the texts, Bazoum added that he has also been
living without electricity for a week – the result of a sanction from the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In the wake of the coup, Nigelec, Niger’s electricity
company, announced that Nigeria’s government had cut supply to the neighbouring
country, leading to blackouts in major cities.
The military junta in Niger had warned against foreign
intervention in the country’s political situation, assuring that Bazoum’s
wellbeing would be respected in exchange.
Efforts are still on to bring the situation in the
Francophone country under control despite the hard stance maintained by the
military junta. Measures taken so far by regional and international
organisations have been met with hostilities.
On Tuesday, the country’s military authorities rejected a
tripartite peace mission from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), and the United
Nations (UN).
ECOWAS said the diplomatic overtures were aborted following
a late-night communication from the could leaders in Niger, indicating their
unavailability to receive the delegation.
Victoria Nuland, United States acting deputy secretary of
state, was also denied permission to meet with Abdourahamane Tiani, coup
leader, or with Bazoum.
Instead, she spoke for two hours with other army officers.
ECOWAS leaders are due to meet on Thursday in Nigeria to
discuss how to proceed, especially as the military junta in Niger defied the
bloc’s deadline on Sunday to reinstate Bazoum.
Meanwhile, Rhissa Ag Boula, a minister in Bazoum’s
government and former rebel leader, announced the formation of an anti-junta
resistance group that will “work to reestablish order” in Niger.
The group, Resistance Council for the Republic (CRR), urged
the military to stand down and arrest Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger’s self-declared
head of state.
The council also warned that “it will use all necessary
means to eliminate this perfidious practice of questioning people’s choices by
rogue and irresponsible soldiers”.
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