Deposed Niger Leader’s Children Beg for Release

The children of Niger’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, have appealed to the international community to intervene and help secure the release of their parents, who have been held in custody since the military seized power in 2023.

Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021, was ousted in a coup on July 26, 2023, and has since been confined inside the presidential palace alongside his wife, Hadiza.

The couple remain under the authority of the same military leader who led the takeover.

According to their children, the former president has never formally stepped down and continues to consider himself Niger’s legitimate leader.

In an emotional open letter published on Wednesday, Bazoum’s children urged both citizens of Niger and the international community to bring an end to what they described as the harsh and degrading treatment of their parents.

They argued that the conditions under which the couple are being held constitute an injustice not only to their family but to the country as a whole.

The family claims Bazoum and his wife have been cut off from the outside world, denied regular access to daylight, and prevented from holding normal contact with others since their detention began.

While officials announced in August 2023 that the former president could face charges including treason—an offence that carries the death penalty under Nigerien law—no court proceedings have been launched to date.

Although his diplomatic immunity has been lifted, the children insist the allegations are without basis.

They also revealed that while authorities had offered to release their mother, she refused to leave her husband behind.

According to the family, they are allowed to speak to their parents by telephone only once every two weeks, which they say is their sole emotional lifeline during an increasingly unbearable period.

The coup was led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, who justified the takeover by citing Niger’s ongoing struggle against terrorist insurgency.

Despite this, militant violence has continued across the country.