Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has warned that any "further deterioration" in the condition of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, kidnapped since the military coup that overthrew him, would have "serious consequences", when of an interview with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, according to an official of the European Union (EU).
“The conditions of detention of President [Mohamed] Bazoum are deteriorating. Any further deterioration in his state of health will have serious consequences,” Mr. Tinubu, who currently chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said in an interview on Thursday, according to the remarks reported Friday by an EU official. This manager had originally mistakenly attributed this sentence to Mr. Michel.
In Accra, Ghana, West African army chiefs of staff meet to discuss a possible armed intervention in Niger, and plan to part ways at a closing ceremony around 6 p.m. , according to the program of the meeting.
"The objective of our meeting is not simply to react to events but to proactively chart a path that leads to peace and sustains stability" in Niger, said Nigeria's Chief of Staff, the General Christopher Gwabin Musa, during the opening of this meeting between military officials from ECOWAS countries.
While the military are discussing the terms of a possible armed operation to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to power in Niger, dismissed since the July 26 coup, ECOWAS still seems to favor the path of dialogue. Calls for a peaceful resolution to this crisis have also multiplied in recent days, particularly from the United States.
On the same day, the UN denounced the military who seized power in Niamey "on a whim", claiming that "the very notion of freedom in Niger is at stake".
A country very vulnerable to climate change and undermined by jihadist violence
"The law of arms has no place in today's world," Volker Türk, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, lambasted on Friday in a statement. Mr. Türk stressed that the 2021 election of President Mohamed Bazoum was "the first democratic transition in the country's history, marked by coups".
The high commissioner was also "concerned about the decision announced by the putschists to prosecute President Mohamed Bazoum and other people working with him for high treason". "This decision is not only motivated by political considerations against a democratically elected president, but it has no legal basis since the normal functioning of democratic institutions has been hindered," he said. underlines.
Mr. Türk called on the generals to release Mr. Bazoum and “immediately restore constitutional order.” He also called for "free and full access to humanitarian aid" in the country, one of the poorest in the world, very vulnerable to climate change and plagued by violence from various armed jihadist groups.
Migrants in peril
For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to relieve the transit centers set up in Niger, where thousands of migrants are stuck.
"Recent border and airspace closures have compounded the hardships faced by stranded migrants and hampered IOM's Assisted Voluntary Return operations, with all flights being postponed or canceled at this time," the organization explains. in a press release. In ten days, multiple departures intended to facilitate the voluntary return of more than 1,000 migrants, mainly from Mali and Guinea, have been canceled or postponed, specifies the IOM.
The IOM welcomes 5,000 migrants in its seven transit centers located for four of them around Agadez, in the center of Niger, and for the other three around Niamey, the capital in the west of the country. But outside these centers there are more than 1,800 migrants who need assistance, IOM said. IOM is committed to continuing its assistance but notes that "the current extreme overcrowding (in the centers) raises questions about the health, safety of migrants and the ability of the Organization to provide life-saving assistance".
Due to its geographical position, Niger is one of the main transit countries in the region for migrants. During the first half of 2023, more than 60,000 migrants crossed Niger, encompassing various profiles, including migrant workers and unaccompanied children, according to the UN organization.
Update, August 18 at 4:45 p.m.: the sentence on the state of health of President Mohamed Bazoum had been attributed in error to Charles Michel by an official of the European Union (EU).
