UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised worry on Wednesday over the allegedly awful conditions in which Niger’s president and his family are being held.
Following claims that Mohamed Bazoum and his family are without electricity, water, food, or medicine, a UN official made a statement.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the deplorable living conditions reported for President Bazoum and his family as they continue to be arbitrarily detained by members of the Presidential Guard in Niger,” he added.
Guterres reaffirmed his worry for the president’s health and safety, and he urged for his immediate, unconditional release and restoration as head of state.
“The Secretary-General is also concerned about ongoing reports of the arrest of several government officials.” He immediately demands their unconditional release and that Niger strictly respect to its international human rights duties,” the statement stated.
On July 26, Bazoum was deposed in a military coup led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of Niger’s presidential guard who has declared himself the leader of a transitional administration.
Bazoum has apparently been held captive in the presidential palace in the city Niamey since then.
His Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya claimed in a statement that he and his family are being held in “cruel” and “inhumane” circumstances, with no access to running water, power, fresh goods, or physicians.
The junta did not respond promptly to Bazoum’s living conditions.
Denouncing the living circumstances, the party asked for international assistance to obtain his release from house arrest and restore constitutional order.
The junta has sworn not to give in to demands from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to transfer power.