President Mohamed Bazoum “was prevented from leaving his home by the one who was supposed to protect him, the head of the presidential guard, (…) he was sequestered at home by those who were supposed to ensure his safety,” Nigeria Das said Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou at LCI. “He is a hostage of the head of the presidential guard, who wants the ransom of this hostage to be the transition” to justify the coup and “allow him to remain in power,” he assured.
The head of state “is in a very difficult situation, he has no electricity, the water is turned off from time to time when the temperature is over 40°C, (…) he, his wife and his son all had malaria”, said the head of state minister described. “But he is in good spirits, he refuses to resign, he will not give this gift to the junta. He remains fighting,” he assured.
“We will hold firm whatever happens,” he said, noting that preparations for the military intervention planned by ECOWAS were “very advanced” and sanctions had been decided. “I don’t see how the junta can stay in power,” Hassoumi Massaoudou said. “People arrived by force, we must leave them by force. The aim is to reinstate President Bazoum, it is not a war against Niger,” he stressed.