President Mohamed Bazoum.
Niger’s junta has disclosed that it thwarted an escape bid by the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been under military custody following the July 26 coup.
According to the interim authorities, Bazoum, along with his family and assistance from individuals within the security forces, schemed to travel in a vehicle to the outskirts of the capital Niamey and then board a helicopter to neighboring Nigeria.
“At around three in the morning, the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and his family, his two cooks and two security elements, tried to escape from his place of detention,” the regime’s spokesman Amadou Abdramane said on state television.
The escape bid failed and “the main actors and some of the accomplices” were arrested, he added in the broadcast late Thursday.
Furthermore, an inquiry has been initiated.
Abdramane explained that the escape scheme initially entailed Bazoum reaching a concealed location on the outskirts of the capital Niamey.
They had then planned to fly out on helicopters “belonging to a foreign power” towards Nigeria, he added, criticizing Bazoum’s “irresponsible attitude”.
Bazoum has steadfastly refused to step down since his removal by the military on July 26. Currently, he, along with his wife Haziza and son Salem, remains confined to his residence within the presidential palace.
In September, Bazoum’s legal team disclosed that he had initiated a legal action within the court of the Economic Community of West African States against those responsible for his ouster. They also announced their intention to bring his case before the UN Human Rights Council.
In another development, the initial contingent of French soldiers, directed to leave Niger by the country’s post-coup military authorities, arrived in N’Djamena, the capital of neighboring Chad, via road on Thursday, October 19.
The convoy successfully reached N’Djamena without encountering any notable issues, following a 10-day journey in collaboration with Nigerien forces, as reported by army spokesperson Pierre Gaudilliere to Agence France-Presse.
These troops will later be flown from Chad back to France, and the withdrawal process is anticipated to conclude by the end of December.
Approximately 1,400 soldiers were stationed in Niamey’s capital and western Niger to combat militants associated with the.