The presidential term of Niger’s ousted leader, Mohamed Bazoum, officially ends on Thursday, but he is unlikely to be released from detention or even put on trial, leaving the situation uncertain.
At 66, Mohamed Bazoum was sworn in as president on April 2, 2021, following democratic elections in which he won 55% of the vote.
He has been held since the coup carried out on July 26, 2023, by the junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, in a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey, where he remains with his wife.
Since his overthrow, he has refused to resign. His lawyers argue that April 2 should no longer mark the official end of his term, since he has not been allowed to exercise his duties for nearly three years.
“His mandate was interrupted and never resumed. If Mr Bazoum were to return to power tomorrow, the period of his detention should not be counted as part of his time in office,” Moussa Coulibaly, a member of the legal team representing Bazoum, told AFP.
