Back to homepage / Africa
HOUR BY HOUR
🔴 Live: Niger junta says it will prosecute President Bazoum for ‘high treason’
Niger’s military regime vowed late Sunday to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and slammed West African leaders for imposing sanctions on the country. ECOWAS has approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible, but says it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Issued on: 14/08/2023 – 01:48
2 min
A woman holds the image of ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum during a protest outside the Nigerien embassy in Paris on August 5, 2023.01:42
A woman holds the image of ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum during a protest outside the Nigerien embassy in Paris on August 5, 2023. © Stefano Rellandini, AFP
Text by:
FRANCE 24
Follow
|
FRANCE 24
|
Video by:
Andrew HILLIAR
5:00am: Six Niger soldiers, 10 suspected jihadists killed in fighting
Six Niger soldiers and 10 “terrorists” were killed on Sunday during fighting in the west of the country, authorities said.
Suspected jihadists on motorbikes ambushed the troops near the western town of Sanam on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the National Guard High Command.
Sanam is in the Tillaberi tri-border area where Niger meets Mali and Burkina Faso, a region where jihadist attacks are common.
2:12am: Niger regime slams ECOWAS sanctions as ‘illegal, inhumane and humiliating’
Niger’s coup leaders said late Sunday they denounced the “illegal, inhumane and humiliating sanctions” imposed by a West African regional bloc, in a statement broadcast on national television.
The military regime said the people of Niger “have been hard hit by the illegal, inhumane and humiliating sanctions imposed by ECOWAS,” according to one of the members of the regime, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, who added that people were being deprived of medicines, food and electricity.
ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on July 26.
1:42am: Niger military regime says it will ‘prosecute’ President Bazoum for ‘high treason’
Niger’s coup leaders that toppled Mohamed Bazoum said late Sunday they would “prosecute” the deposed president for “high treason” and “undermining the security” of the country, according to a statement read out by a member of the junta on national television.
“The Nigerien government has so far gathered… evidence to prosecute the deposed president and his local and foreign accomplices before the competent national and international bodies for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger,” said Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane.
7:40pm: Mediator talks with Niger coup leaders ‘constructive’
Talks between the religious delegation of mediators and the Niger junta, including leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, have been “constructive”, said FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris-Trent.
Coup leaders in Niger have expressed willingness to resolve the current crisis and standoff with West African regional bloc ECOWAS diplomatically, she said.
Daily newsletter
Receive essential international news every morning
Subscribe
Please click on the video player below to watch the report.
02:03
Key developments from Sunday, August 13:
Coup leaders in Niger are open to diplomacy to resolve a standoff with West Africa’s regional bloc, a group of senior Nigerian Islamic scholars said on Sunday after meeting the junta in Niamey.
The delegation of religious leaders from Nigeria met with the junta-appointed prime minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine on Saturday in Niamey amid ongoing efforts to overcome the crisis.
Read yesterday’s live blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
