EU, Macron Urge Niger Junta to Release Ousted President Bazoum on Coup Anniversary

Two years after the military seized power in Niger and detained President Mohamed Bazoum, international pressure is mounting on the ruling junta to release the deposed leader.

The European Union and French President Emmanuel Macron renewed calls on Saturday for Bazoum’s immediate release, denouncing his continued detention as a violation of political and human rights.

In a joint show of concern, the European Union issued a statement through its High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, reiterating its stance against arbitrary political detentions in Niger.

“The EU welcomes the recent release of some political prisoners,” the statement read, “but regrets the continued detention of President Mohamed Bazoum, his wife Hadiza, and others.

The EU calls again for the release of these people who are being held for political reasons.”

President Bazoum, 65, was overthrown by elements of his own presidential guard on July 26, 2023, in a swift and unexpected military coup.

Since then, he has reportedly been held under house arrest in a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey, along with his wife.

According to his legal team, neither of them has left the building in two years, raising serious concerns over their health and well-being.

Speaking from Paris, President Emmanuel Macron added his voice to growing international appeals, calling the ongoing detention “unjust and unacceptable.”

“Mohamed Bazoum was the legitimately elected leader of Niger. His prolonged captivity undermines the rule of law and democratic stability in the region,” Macron said. “We urge the junta to release him immediately and restore constitutional order.”

France, a former colonial power with strategic and military ties to Niger, has been vocal in condemning the coup and advocating for the restoration of civilian rule. Relations between the junta and Paris have deteriorated sharply since the coup, culminating in the withdrawal of French troops from Niger in 2024 after the military government severed defense agreements.

The Nigerien junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has so far resisted international calls to relinquish power or release Bazoum.

The junta maintains that the coup was necessary to prevent what it described as a deteriorating security situation and political mismanagement.

However, critics argue that the coup has exacerbated regional instability and undermined democratic gains in West Africa.

Bazoum’s continued confinement has been condemned by multiple human rights organizations and regional bodies, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which imposed sanctions on Niger in the aftermath of the coup.

Though some of these sanctions have since been relaxed, ECOWAS continues to call for a return to democratic governance.

As Niger remains at a political crossroads, the international community’s renewed focus on Bazoum’s fate underscores the broader concern over the shrinking space for democracy in the Sahel region. For now, hopes for his release and a political resolution remain uncertain.