The army junta within the West African nation of Niger claimed that it had disrupted an try by the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, to flee on Thursday from the presidential residence, the place he has been detained since he was overthrown in a coup almost three months in the past.
His legal professionals denied the assertion, stated that that they had misplaced contact with him, and known as as soon as once more for his instant launch.
Since mutinous troopers in Niger seized energy in a coup in late July, Mr. Bazoum had been stranded together with his spouse and son within the presidential residence in Niger’s capital, Niamey. Whereas Mr. Bazoum had been in a position to talk together with his legal professionals, they stated that since Wednesday evening that they had obtained no information of his whereabouts or situation.
“It’s a complete blackout,” Mohamed Seydou Diagne, one in every of Mr. Bazoum’s legal professionals, stated in a phone interview on Friday. “We’ve got causes to fret, much more so after we know that he’s within the palms of the army.”
A spokesman for the Nigerien army leaders didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Mr. Bazoum, who turned president in 2021, was thought of a detailed ally of France and america, which each maintained army bases there. Niger, a poor, landlocked nation of 25 million, has been battling Islamist insurgents affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Niger’s army junta stated in an announcement that Mr. Bazoum had tried to flee at 3 a.m. on Thursday together with his household, two safety personnel and two cooks. An unmarked automobile ready close by was purported to take them to the outskirts of Niamey, the junta stated, earlier than “two helicopters belonging to a overseas energy” would have flown them to neighboring Nigeria.
The junta stated it had arrested “the primary actors and a few of their accomplices,” however didn’t say whether or not this included the president.
However Mr. Bazoum’s lawyer, Mr. Diagne, known as the concept of an escape far-fetched. “How can one escape a army precinct?” he stated, referring to the army compound the place the presidential residence sits.
Electrical energy and water had been minimize off to the residence in early August. A physician who was bringing meals to the household each two days was denied entry to the residence Friday morning, the legal professionals stated.
After the coup in late July, West African nations threatened to mount a army operation to launch Mr. Bazoum and restore constitutional order in Niger.
However prospects of army motion have largely light, and Niger’s junta has as a substitute tightened its grip on the nation. It has severed ties with France, which started withdrawing the 1,500 troops it had within the nation final week. It has shaped a brand new safety alliance with neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, two different junta-led nations. And it has silenced opposition voices and journalists.
Final week, the Biden administration introduced that it was suspending almost $200 million in support and an extra $442 million in commerce and agricultural help to Niger, after designating the July army takeover a coup.
An adviser to Mr. Bazoum, talking on the situation of anonymity to debate his state of affairs, stated that till Thursday the ousted president had been in a position to talk with shut allies and his legal professionals by means of a phone that these guarding him had not confiscated.
This time, the good friend stated, Mr. Bazoum gave the impression to be with none technique of communication with the surface world.
