The coup plotters in Niger have threatened to try the ousted President Bazoum for “hight treason” according to a report by Reuters. This is the latest in the fast developing coup saga in one of West Africas’s poorest countries, which has seen so much of violence in the past.
The Reuter’s report quoted the Junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane to have said in a statement read out on state TV late on Sunday 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.”
The political landscape in Niger has been fraught with uncertainty since Bazoum’s removal in a coup by the presidential guard. In response, regional leaders have escalated their stance, with threat of military intervention to restore consitutional order in the country.
Despite this escalations, there are still signs of diplomatic potential, as General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the junta leader, have accepted to engage in discussions and expresses openness to dialogue with ECOWAS. This has provided a glimmer of hope for a peaceful resolution.
