The Junta Leader's Plan is to Starve the President to Death: Niger's Ambassador to the US

President Mohamed Bazoum is sitting with his family in a dark basement of the presidential complex, cut off from food, electricity, and gas supplies, reported Mamadou Kiari Liman-Tinguirin, Niger's ambassador to the US, according to The Associated Press.

“The junta leader's plan is to starve him to death,” Liman-Tinguirin said in an AP interview, noting that the president, his wife, and their 20-year-old son are not receiving any food.

According to the ambassador, Bazoum answers phone calls from friends or others he wishes to speak with while in the basement. He has not appeared in public since July 26, when military vehicles blocked the gates of the presidential palace, and security forces announced they had taken over power.

The US, the UN, and other countries have repeatedly expressed concern about the conditions of Bazoum's detention and warned the junta that they would be held accountable for the well-being of Bazoum and his family.

It should be recalled that on the night of July 27, Niger's military announced the dismissal of President Mohamed Bazoum and the transfer of power to the “National Council for the Salvation of the Fatherland,” as well as the closing of borders, the suspension of the constitution, and the ban on any political party activities.