Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who was removed from power in a military coup two weeks ago, is running out of food after being put under house arrest with his wife and son, an advisor said. The family is living under appalling conditions, with no electricity and running water, with only rice and canned goods to eat.
The advisor told AP that Bazoum remains in good health despite the conditions and will never resign. His political party also confirmed the ousted president's living conditions, saying that his family was living without running water.
Bazoum is currently detained with his family in the presidential palace in Niamey since June 26, when his own guards removed him from power and the military formed a government. Since then, the political crisis in Niger has escalated with foreign sanctions and threat of force by a regional bloc in West Africa.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke to Bazoum on Tuesday on diplomatic efforts, asserted that "the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount.”
The military junta on Monday named civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the new Prime Minister of the country. Zeine was a former economy and finance minister in a government that was toppled in a previous coup in 2010.
Meanwhile, the junta has also rejected international efforts to mediate by representatives of the West African regional bloc named ECOWAS, the African Union and United Nations, citing “evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace" against the country.
Niger was a crucial Western ally and a last defense against extremist attacks by Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the conflict-torn West African region.
Notably, the coup leaders in Niger have defied a deadline set by the ECOWAS for the release and reinstatement of the ousted President nd have reportedly sought the assistance of Wagner forces, who were previously involved in an armed rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The mutinuous soldiers had said that they will do a better job of protecting the nation from extremist violence, when they assumed power last month. General Abdourahmane Tchiani, head of Bazoum's presidential guard, is now running the country.
Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS have put a major burden on the civilians of Niger, which is already one of the poorest countries in the world. Many Nigeriens say that they are too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis.
US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held "difficult and frank" talks with coup leaders in NIger, and said that the military understoof the risks of working with the mercenary group. "These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult because, again, we are pushing for a negotiated solution. It was not easy to get traction there. They are quite firm in their view of how they want to proceed," she said.
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