President of Chad in Niger. Algeria and Benin call for Bazoum’s release

TAlso today, the presidents of Algeria and Benin called for the restoration of normality in Niger, with the release of the deposed President, Mohamed Bazoum.

“The two presidents showed their firmness in the return of constitutional order to Niger and in the restoration of President Mohamed Bazoum to his functions as legitimately elected head of state”, said a source from the Algerian presidency, quoted by the Spanish agency Efe.

According to the Nigerian state television ORTN, Déby Itno made a stopover in Niamey before returning to Chad after participating in the summit and was received at the airport by General Salifou Mody, former chief of staff of Niger, and by other members of the Joins.

After a two-hour meeting with Mody and the members of the Nigerian junta, organized into the self-named National Committee for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), he went to the Niamey presidential palace, where he met with the leader of the Niger military junta and self-proclaimed head of State of the country, General Abdourahamane Tiani, according to ORTN.

ECOWAS today issued an ultimatum to the military led by General Tiani, declaring that it does not exclude the use of force if the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, is not released and returned to power within a week.

Bazoum has been detained since last Wednesday at his presidential residence, when members of the presidential guard staged a coup d’état.

The junta immediately announced the impeachment of the President, the suspension of the Constitution, the closure of borders and a mandatory night curfew until further notice. The military still intends to exercise “the set of legislative and executive powers” until the return of “the normal constitutional order”.

In parallel, the prime minister of the deposed government, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, said today that he is optimistic about a solution for his country without the need to resort to force, given that international sanctions are sufficient to impose a situation that would be “catastrophic”.

“It is a country that will not be able to withstand this type of sanctions”, he warned in a brief interview in Paris with France 24 television.

The Nigerian politician expressed satisfaction with the international reaction to last Wednesday’s coup, in particular the response issued by ECOWAS.

In the capital, thousands of people paraded through the streets today in support of the coup d’état, denouncing France, the former colonial power, and waving Russian flags. Protesters approached the French embassy and knocked down a door to the building before being dispersed by a military force.

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