Niger: Don’t worsen Bazoum’s health, Tinubu cautions junta

President Bola Tinubu has warned of impending “grave consequences” should the military rulers of Niger Republic allow deposed President Mohamed Bazoum’s health to deteriorate while under house arrest.

Bazoum, alongside his family members, has been under house arrest since July 26, after the presidential guards overthrew his government.

A European Union (EU) official, Charles Michel, disclosed this after a call from president Tinubu on Friday.

The French News Agency reported that during a call to the EU official, Tinubu who chairs ECOWAS, which is opposed to the Niger coup, said, “President Bazoum’s detention conditions are deteriorating.”

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Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the ongoing crisis in Niger could significantly worsen food insecurity in the poor country.

The closure of the border between Niger and Benin has halted food imports through the port of Cotonou.

WFP in Niger is urging humanitarian exemptions to sanctions and border closures to avert a catastrophe.

The UN said that even before the coup, more than three million people in Niger were severely affected by food insecurity, RFI reported.

‘ECOWAS force waiting for order to strike’

The ECOWAS force is ready to intervene in Niger ‘anytime the order is given’, an official told Aljazeera on Friday.

“We are ready to go anytime the order is given. The D-Day is also decided,” the official said after West African military chiefs held a second day of talks preparing for a possible armed intervention in Niger.

Daily Trust reported that at a meeting in Accra, Ghana capital, on Thursday, the Defence Chiefs said they were prepared to restore civil rule in Niger.

However, ECOWAS could send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday, the official said, though previous delegations have failed to meet the country’s new strongman.