A community of Nigeriens have risen in Ghana as a powerful voice of solidarity and support for their homeland’s former leader, President Bazoum, who has been deposed due to an ongoing coup in Niger.
The group in Ghana are calling for his reinstatement, justifying his calls with claims that the ousted President has played a pivotal role in spearheading transformative development initiatives for Niger.
“Mohamed Bazoum is a good man. We’ve not had a President like him. If he stays in Niger for like 10 years all Niger will develop,” a member of the agitated group said.
On 26 July 2023, a coup d’état occurred in the Republic of the Niger when the country’s presidential guard detained president Mohamed Bazoum, and presidential guard commander general Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself the leader of a new military junta, shortly after confirming the coup a success.
This was the fifth military coup d’état since the country gained independence from France in 1960, and the first since 2010. The coup was widely condemned by the United States and the country’s former colonialist France, and by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, the latter of which threatened military intervention against the junta. This led to the 2023 Nigerien crisis after the coup.
On 6 August, 57,000 soldiers were counted among the putschists, and 245,000 from ECOWAS members, with France refusing to intervene.
As the call for his reinstatement reverberates across the continent, the collective sentiment from this community echoes loudly: Bazoum must be released.
“We are not happy with how the soldiers came and seized power and it’s affecting everything. People are losing their businesses. The country is in a standstill now. So the soldiers should reinstate the President and hand over power to him because he’s the only one who can develop Niger,” the protesting group said.
