The military leaders in Niger who came to power last month after a coup, in their latest display of resistance against international pressure, formed a new government, as per a decree read out on national television on Thursday (August 10).
The 21-member administration will be led by Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine with new military governing council’s generals heading the defence and interior ministries.
West African bloc to attend key summit on Niger coup
West African bloc ECOWAS leaders will be meeting for an emergency summit on the coup in Niger on Thursday (August 10), after the military chiefs of the country defied an ultimatum to restore the elected president.
Two weeks after the coup which removed Mohamed Bazoum from his position, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stated that it is looking at a diplomatic solution but the use of force has not been ruled out by them to resolve the crisis.
Important decisions are likely to be made in the gathering in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, as per the statement issued by the 15-nation organisation on Tuesday.
The bloc, which is struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members, had given the troops an ultimatum to either reinstate Bazoum till last Sunday or face the potential use of force.
However, the coup leaders remained defiant and no action was taken against them.
WATCH | Niger coup: West is supporting ECOWAS. Will Russia make a move in Niger like it did in Mali?
UN chief expresses concern over ‘deplorable’ detention conditions of Niger’s president
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concerns over reports of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and his family’s “deplorable living conditions” in arbitrary detention and called for his release, said a UN spokesperson in a statement on Wednesday (August 9).
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised “the deplorable living conditions that President Bazoum and his family are reported to be living under,” as per a UN statement.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Bazoum was kept isolated and was forced to consume dry rice and pasta by the rebels after he was overthrown by them in a coup late last month.
In a series of text messages which were sent to a friend by Bazoum, the president said he had been “deprived of all human contact since Friday”, with no one supplying him medicine or food, reported the network.
Guterres “reiterates his concern over the health and safety of the President and his family and once again calls for his immediate, unconditional release and his reinstatement as Head of State,” said the UN chief’s spokesman in a statement.
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