MONROVIA – Following his overthrow, the former President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has reportedly been released from detention and reunited with his family nearly two weeks since he was ousted.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The coup plotters have designated Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a former economy minister, as the new prime minister of the country. An official spokesperson for the military junta made this announcement on late Monday night through televised broadcast.
Lamine Zeine previously served as the minister of economy and finance for several years under the cabinet of then-president Mamadou Tandja, who was ousted in 2010. He has most recently been employed as an economist at the African Development Bank in Chad, as reported by Nigerien media.
Under Bazoum’s leadership, Niger had stood as a key ally of the Western nations in combating the spread of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel region.
An ultimatum issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the coup leaders demanding the reinstatement of Bazoum lapsed over the weekend. The ultimatum warned of potential measures, including the use of force, if the demand was not met.
Meanwhile, Niger’s military government has turned down the latest diplomatic initiative from African nations aimed at restoring constitutional order after the coup on July 26th. The United States and United Nations have also exerted pressure on the military government to engage in negotiations.
The African Union (AU) had planned to dispatch a joint mission involving representatives from the UN and ECOWAS to Niger on Tuesday. However, the military government, which has closed Niger’s airspace, denied permission for this mission, as reported by the French magazine Jeune Afrique.
ECOWAS leaders are gearing up for a summit on Thursday to discuss the impasse with Niger’s coup leaders, who have not complied with a Sunday deadline to reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who heads ECOWAS, emphasized that diplomacy remains the preferred approach to resolve the crisis in Niger. According to his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu and other West African leaders advocate for a peaceful and diplomatic solution.
Ngelale noted, “This stance will be upheld moving forward, pending any alternative resolution that might arise from the ECOWAS extraordinary summit scheduled for Thursday.” However, he did not explicitly rule out the possibility of military intervention in Niger.
The Nigerian president is resolute in his position that diplomacy is the most effective path forward, representing the consensus of the ECOWAS heads of state.