The European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding the “immediate” release of Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held in Niamey since the military coup in July 2023 and whose mandate will officially end in early April.
Elected in 2021, the 66-year-old Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in a military putsch on July 26, 2023. Since then, he has been detained along with his wife in a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
A total of 524 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the non-binding resolution, backed by the European People’s Party (EPP) and other parliamentary groups, strongly condemning what they described as Bazoum’s “arbitrary detention.” Two lawmakers voted against the text and 29 abstained.
Since the coup, Niger has been led by the head of the junta, General Abdourahamane Tiani, but Mohamed Bazoum has consistently refused to resign. His presidential term is due to expire on April 2.
“Failing to secure his release before that date would constitute a serious failure,” French MEP Christophe Gomart (EPP), who initiated the resolution, warned during Wednesday evening’s plenary debate, describing the measure as an “urgent” resolution.
The text also recalls that Mohamed Bazoum’s presidential immunity was lifted in 2024 by Niger’s judiciary and that the junta has “vowed to prosecute him for high treason,” a charge that could carry the death penalty.
European lawmakers are calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of the presidential couple. According to them, no verifiable information about their situation has been made public for more than a year. They report that Bazoum has neither access to a lawyer nor family visits and is receiving only limited medical care.
“It should be recalled that President Bazoum, who was democratically elected, was the main partner of European forces in the Sahel, contributing to the fight against Islamist terrorism, arms trafficking, human trafficking, and to regional stability,” Christophe Gomart also stressed on Wednesday.