UN Security Council Calls for Immediate Release of Niger’s Bazoum

The Security Council members strongly condemned July 26, 2023, attempts to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government of the Republic of Niger, says the joint statement, adopted after the Friday meeting.

Members of the Security Council called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bazoum and underscored the need to ensure the security of his family and members of his cabinet, TASS reported.

The Security Council also underscored the urgent need to restore the constitutional order in Niger in accordance with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, and underscored the importance to protect the population and to ensure the continued provision of humanitarian aid.

Mutinous soldiers in Niger announced late on July 26 that they had removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power, closed the country’s borders and suspended the Constitution.

They set up the "National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland", which assumed all powers of government. In a statement broadcast on national television, the mutineers promised to guarantee the personal safety of former government officials. General Abdourahamane Tchiani has declared himself head of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland created in Niger.

According to AFP, Bazoum is being held in a residence, located at the military base of the Presidential Guard, headed by Tchiani.