According to a U.N. official, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply worried by the reported “deplorable living conditions” of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum and his family in arbitrary detention.
Niger has been engulfed in political upheaval since July 26, when the soldiers in Niger claimed to have removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power and stated, “Defence and security forces have decided to put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance.”
Following the reports that the detained President Bazoum has been living in the condition of despair, without even the basic requirements of electricity and medicines, the Secretary-General reiterated his concern. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about Bazoum and his family after his party reported that they were being detained at the presidential residence without electricity or running water, and had gone days without fresh food. “The Secretary-General… once again calls for his immediate, unconditional release and his reinstatement as Head of State,” a U.N. spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Bazoum’s Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya said in a statement that the President and his family are being detained under “cruel” and “inhumane” conditions without access to running water, electricity, fresh goods or doctors, his
On August 6, Niger closed its airspace citing the threat of military intervention from the West African regional bloc after coup leaders rejected a deadline to reinstate the country’s ousted president. U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger, Louise Aubin, said flights operated within Niger by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to supply its far-flung regions had been disrupted but not suspended by the junta’s decision to close its airspace.
(Inputs from Reuters)