The pronouncement by the military government of Niger that it will prosecute detained President Mohamed Bazoum has drawn condemnation from the United Nations, the United States, and ECOWAS as the organisations believe this will only increase existing tensions.
The coupists in Niger Republic who overthrew Mohamed Bazoum declared on Sunday that they will “prosecute” him for “high treason” and “undermining the security” of the nation.
“We are incredibly dismayed by reports that President Bazoum’s unjust detention has gone even a step further,” said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
“This action is completely unwarranted and unjustified and, candidly, it will not contribute to a peaceful resolution of this crisis.”
According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the attempt by the Niger junta to charge democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum with high treason is “very worrying.”
Dujarric told reporters, “We are deeply concerned about the situation, health, and safety of the President and his family. We once more ask for his quick and unconditional release and his reinstatement as head of state.
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ECOWAS declared on Monday that it was astonished to learn of plans by the Niger junta to prosecute President Mohamed Bazoum with high treason.
The group said in a statement that the action is an act of provocation by the coup leaders in Niger and contradicts their professed willingness to find a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.
Opposition legislators in Ghana urge against military action.
In Ghana, opposition parliamentarians have voiced alarm over ECOWAS’s intentions to use military force in Niger as part of efforts to reestablish the nation’s constitutional order. The legislators urged Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo to immediately halt all mobilisation in preparation for the deployment of Ghanaian troops.
“The Ghanaian Parliament has not discussed this matter unlike other countries who have had the opportunity to debate these matters and to pass a resolution,” BBC was informed by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a parliamentarian on the foreign affairs committee.
Minority legislators in the nation believe that diplomatic efforts and candid debate should be pursued.
