Niger's mutinous soldiers said they'll prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason" and undermining state security, in an announcement hours after the junta said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the mounting regional crisis. If found guilty, Bazoum could face the death penalty, reports the AP. Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television Sunday night that the military regime had "gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute before competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices for high treason and for undermining the internal and external security of Niger."
The announcement said high-ranking West African politicians and "their international mentors" have made false allegations and tried to derail a peaceful solution to the crisis to justify a military intervention. It said Bazoum was being charged following his exchanges with these people. The statement didn't ID specific Western countries and didn't specify a trial date. Bazoum, Niger's democratically elected president, was ousted by members of his presidential guard on July 26 and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in Niamey. People close to the president, as well as those in his ruling party, say the family's electricity and water have been cut off and they're running out of food. The junta dismissed these reports Sunday and accused West African politicians and international partners of fueling a disinformation campaign to discredit the junta.
International pressure is growing on the junta to release and reinstate Bazoum. Immediately after the coup, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS gave the regime seven days to return him to power and threatened military force if it didn't happen, but that deadline came and went with no action from either side. Last week, ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a "standby" force, but it's still unclear when or if it would enter the country. The African Union Peace and Security Council is meeting on Monday to discuss Niger's crisis and could overrule the decision if it felt that wider peace and security on the continent was threatened by an intervention. But as time drags on, there's growing uncertainty, and mixed messages are mounting.
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On Sunday evening, before the military accused Bazoum of treason, a member of the junta's communication team told journalists that the regime had approved talks with ECOWAS, which would take place in the coming days. That same day, a mediation team of Islamic scholars from neighboring Nigeria who'd met with the junta over the weekend said the regime was open to dialogue with ECOWAS. Previous attempts by ECOWAS to speak with the junta have foundered, with its delegations being barred from entering the country. "Let's see what these negotiations actually look like, because it's also in the junta's benefit to [at] the least entertain talks. That doesn't mean they'll be serious about them," said Aneliese Bernard, a former US State Department official who specialized in African affairs and is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group.
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