The health condition of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum has been confirmed stable 48 hours after the military declared their takeover of power in the West African country.
OsunDailyNG reported earlier that access roads to the residence and offices of President Bazoum were blocked off on Wednesday by members of the elite Presidential Guard.
The military has since confined Bazoum to his residence.
Speaking, however, on the development, France’s foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, disclosed in a statement on Friday (today) that President Bazoum is safe and in good health.
According to Paris’ top diplomat, Bazoum had a phone conversation with President Emmanuel Macron early Friday.
“He is reachable; he also said that he is in good health,” Colonna said.
Earlier, the Coup leaders in Niger declared they had won broad army support and called for calm, but former colonial power France said it did not consider the apparent putsch “final”.
Colonna said there were “ways out” for coup plotters who chose to heed global condemnation of President Bazoum’s ouster.
Amid the worrisome development, Bazoum is said to have stood his ground as denunciations of the putsch swelled from African and international organisations and allies Germany and the United States, as well as France.
“The hard-won (democratic) gains will be safeguarded,” President Bazoum wrote on Twitter yesterday.
In the latest development, however, Colonna said: “If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it’s because we don’t consider things final.”
She insisted that “There is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community.”
The Paris diplomat said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would hold a summit “probably on Sunday”, where “possible sanctions could be decided”, adding that France would support sanctions.
France, which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, previously called for “the restoration of the integrity of Nigerien democratic institutions”.
However, Chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa has swung his weight behind the putschists.
“The military command has decided to subscribe to the declaration made by the Defence and Security Forces in order to avoid a deadly confrontation,” Issa was quoted to have said in a statement.
