Local media reported on Sunday that Niger's junta pledged to prosecute former President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason" and criticised West African leaders for imposing sanctions on the country.
Bazoum will be prosecuted "for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger," according to Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, a member of the country's Defence and Security Forces and the newly constituted National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
Abdramane said in a statement that the CNSP and the transitional government firmly denounce the deliberate campaign of disinformation and misinformation being waged in the president's and his clique's sole interest.
This is intended to discredit the transitional authorities of Niger and undermine all negotiated solutions to the crisis in order to better legitimise foreign military intervention by certain heads of state in the name of ECOWAS, he said.
ECOWAS has sanctioned Niger in response to the recent coup and approved the deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger as soon as possible. ECOWAS remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis, with Niger's coup leaders condemning the sanctions as "illegal, inhumane, and humiliating," according to local media.
"The CNSP and the transitional government assure the Nigerien people that, under the guidance of CNSP President Abdourahamane Tchiani, urgent measures are being taken to minimise the impact of ECOWAS sanctions on our resilient population," he added.
Regarding the captured officials of the deposed government, he stated that the CNSP and transitional government will "treat them with humanity" in accordance with traditional and religious principles.
On July 26, soldiers in Niger detained Bazoum and selected Tchiani, the former commander of the country's presidential guard, to lead the CNSP, a governing body they established after the coup.
