Niger coup leaders have vowed to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for alleged treason and security risk in the West African country.
Gatekeepers News reports that junta’s spokesperson Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, made this known in a statement read on national television late Sunday.
Abdramane said the ousted president would be prosecuted “for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”
The junta spokesperson also said there was a misinformation campaign against the putschists to “derail any negotiated solution to the crisis in order to justify military intervention … in the name of Ecowas”.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on 26 July.
Last Thursday, the regional bloc approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible.
It, however, added that it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Bazoum, his wife, and adult son have been held at the president’s official Niamey residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over their conditions in detention.
