The state of health of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum is of serious concern to the EU. For its part, Nigeria is considering sanctions if its condition were to deteriorate further.
Kidnapped since the military coup in Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s president, is in a state of health that worries the European Union and neighboring African countries. In an interview with European Council President Charles Michel, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu warned that any “further deterioration” in Mohamed Bazoum’s condition would have “serious consequences”, according to an EU official ( which initially mistakenly attributed this sentence to Mr. Michel).
“President Bazoum’s conditions of detention are deteriorating. Any further deterioration in his state of health will have serious consequences,” said Tinubu, who currently chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The European Union is closely monitoring the situation in Niger and has already suspended its budgetary aid and its cooperation programs in the security field. Germany also asked, Thursday, August 17, that the EU take “sanctions against the putschists”.
The EU in support of ECOWAS
In addition, Charles Michel “reiterated the EU’s support and full support for the decisions of ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States], as well as the firm condemnation of the unacceptable coup de force in niger”. “The EU will not recognize the authorities resulting from the putsch,” he insisted.
Military officials from ECOWAS countries are meeting this Friday in Accra, Ghana, to discuss a possible armed intervention in Niger, even if the organization still seems to favor the path of dialogue.
The West African regional organization adopted sanctions (suspension of financial transactions with Niger and freezing of all service transactions, including the transfer of electricity) to put pressure on those responsible for the military coup in Niamey.
This article is originally published on lepoint.fr
