Bazoum defends his management and warns of the effects of a “success” by the coup plotters
MADRID, 4 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The deposed president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has asked for help from the United States and the international community to “restore constitutional order” in the African country, after last week the Presidential Guard staged a coup citing security problems in the country and formed a military junta.
“In our hour of need, I call on the United States government and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order. Fighting for our shared values, including democratic pluralism and respect for the rule of law, is the only way to achieve sustainable progress against poverty and terrorism. The Nigerien people will never forget your support at this crucial moment in our history,” the president said in an article published in The Washington Post.
Bazoum, who has stressed that he writes “as a hostage”, has denounced that Niger “is under attack by a military junta that is trying to overthrow” the country’s democracy: “I am only one of the hundreds of citizens who have been imprisoned arbitrarily and illegally,” he lamented.
“This coup, launched against my government by a military faction on July 26, has no justification. If it is successful, it will have devastating consequences for our country, our region and the entire world,” he warned, while recalling that came to power in 2021 through democratic elections.
In this sense, he has condemned “any attempt to overthrow a legitimate government” and has shown his “appreciation” for the “strong and unequivocal condemnations of this cynical effort to undermine the remarkable progress that Niger has achieved under democracy”, showing his support to the organizations that have been “strong and clear” in the request to end the coup and release those arrested, in reference to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, the European Union or United States Joined.
“The coup plotters falsely claim that they acted to protect the security of Niger. They allege that our war against the jihadist terrorists is failing and that my economic and social government, including alliances with the US and Europe, has harmed our country. In fact, the The security situation in Niger has improved dramatically, facilitated by the very associations that the junta opposes,” he explained.
Bazoum has indicated that “there have been almost no attacks for two years and the refugees are returning to their villages” in the south of the country, where there is a threat from the terrorist group Boko Haram. “As a testament to this reality, our partners (…) are shifting their operations from humanitarian aid to development initiatives, such as generating sustainable energy, improving agricultural productivity and educating the next generation,” she said.
“The north and west of the country have also not suffered major attacks since I took office in 2021. Thanks to the support of our allies and the training of partners, including the Indiana National Guard, Niger is now the safest place in recent 15 years,” he asserted.
In addition, he has considered that the security situation in his country is “significantly better” than that of its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, “whose governments, both installed by military coups, have supported the illegal coup.” Thus, he has criticized that these countries “employ” Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group “at the expense of the rights and dignity of their people.”
Leaving security aside, Bazoum highlighted the country’s per capita growth rate, despite the “slow recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also mentioned that 2022 has been Niger’s first year “without a single school day lost due to strikes” and his cabinet has signed “historic agreements with unions to create a safer and more stable working environment.”
Following this description, the deposed president has assured that the country “cannot afford to lose this momentum” due to the threat posed by the “possible fall of Niger for the region”, since it will lead to the imposition of sanctions by the international community.
“These measures are already showing what a future would look like under an autocratic junta without vision or reliable allies. The price of rice rose 40 percent between Sunday and Tuesday, and some neighborhoods have started reporting product and electricity shortages,” has regretted
General Abdourahmane Tchiani, former head of the Presidential Guard, announced last Wednesday the dismissal of the president, Mohamed Bazoum, and the closure of the borders, due to the deep economic and security crisis in the country, which is facing a increased operations by branches of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda terrorist groups.
The coup has once again fueled concerns about political instability in Niger, a country that has been rocked by four — now five — coups since it won independence from France in 1960, as well as several failed attempts, the last of them in 2021, days before Bazoum took office.
