Embattled President of Niger Republic Mohamed Bazoum has called on African and World leaders to help restore his country’s democracy.
News360 Info recalls that Bazoum has been in detention since the military overthrew his government on July 26.
In an article he wrote from detention which was published on Washington Post, Bazoum said the coup must end, and the junta must free everyone they have unlawfully arrested.
According to him, the act carried out by a faction of the military was unjustifiable.
The Niger Republic president said, “I write this as a hostage. Niger is under attack from a military junta that is trying to overthrow our democracy, and I am just one of hundreds of citizens who have been arbitrarily and illegally imprisoned. This coup, launched against my government by a faction in the military on July 26, has no justification whatsoever. If it succeeds, it will have devastating consequences for our country, our region and the entire world.
Our government came to power through a democratic election in 2021. Any attempt to overthrow a lawful government must be opposed, and we appreciate the strong and unequivocal condemnations of this cynical effort to undermine the remarkable progress Niger has made under democracy. The United States, the African and European Unions, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been loud and clear: This coup must end, and the junta must free everyone they have unlawfully arrested.”
He added that contrary to claims by the military junta which toppled his government, the West African country has witnessed an unprecedented growth and development since he became president two years ago with no major attacks witnessed in the country.
“The coup plotters falsely claim that they acted to protect Niger’s security. They allege that our war against jihadist terrorists is failing and that my economic and social governance, including partnerships with the United States and Europe, has hurt our country.
In fact, Niger’s security situation has improved dramatically — facilitated by the very partnerships the junta opposes. Foreign aid makes up 40 percent of our national budget, but it will not be delivered if the coup succeeds.
To the south, where we face the terrorist group Boko Haram, there have been almost no attacks for two years, and refugees are returning to their villages. As a testament to this reality, our partners, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, are shifting their operations from humanitarian aid to development initiatives such as building sustainable energy, improving agricultural productivity and educating the next generation of Nigerien leaders.
The country’s north and west have likewise suffered no major attacks since I took office in 2021. Thanks to our allies’ support and training from partners, including the Indiana National Guard, Niger is now the safest it has been in the past 15 years.
Notably, Niger’s security situation is significantly better than that of our neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, whose governments, both installed by military takeovers, support the illegal coup. Rather than addressing security concerns by strengthening their own capacity, they employ criminal Russian mercenaries such as the Wagner Group at the expense of their people’s rights and dignity,” he added.
He listed some of the successes achieved by his administration to include maintaining peace in the country and revitalising the economy.
He added, “My government has been similarly successful in terms of economic and social governance. After a slow recovery from covid-19 in 2021, our per capita growth rate more than tripled to 7.4 percent last year.
2022 was Niger’s first year without a single school day lost to strikes from teachers or students. Workers did not go on strike in any major sector, and my administration signed landmark agreements with unions to create a safer and more stable working environment across the nation.
In March, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Niger ‘a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation.’”
He added that within the period the military junta took over power, meaningful developments being experienced in the country are already being reversed.
“We cannot afford to lose this momentum. Recognizing the threat that Niger’s potential fall poses to the region, our neighbors in ECOWAS have announced unprecedented sanctions, including a ban on exports and imports of oil, and a suspension of cross-border financial transactions.
These measures are already demonstrating what a future would look like under an autocratic junta with no vision or reliable allies. The price of rice rose by 40 percent between Sunday and Tuesday, and some neighborhoods have begun to report shortages of goods and electricity.
In Africa’s troubled Sahel region, Niger stands as the last bastion of respect for human rights amid the authoritarian movements that have overtaken some of our neighbors. While this coup attempt is a tragedy for Nigeriens, its success would have devastating consequences far beyond our borders,” he said.
Bazoum warned that “the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group, whose brutal terrorism has been on full display in Ukraine,” with the open invitation of the coup plotters.
He warned that Boko Haram and other terrorist movements will take advantage of Niger’s instability, and use the country as a staging ground to attack neighboring countries and undermine peace, safety and freedom around the world.
“They will ramp up their efforts to target our youths with hateful anti-Western indoctrination, turning them against the very partners who are helping us build a more hopeful future,” he added.
