Niger: Ex-president still in detention as term officially ends
Niger's ex-president, Mohamed Bazoum and his wife, Hadiza, remains in detention at the presidential palace in Niamey, despite his presidential term officially ending on April 2nd.
Tensions between Europe and Niger look set to worsen as former President Mohamed Bazoum remains in detention, despite the EU pushing for his release, according to RFI and agencies on April 2nd.
Bazoum and his wife, Hadiza, have been detained in a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey since he was ousted following the July 2023 military coup that installed General Abdourahamane Tchiani as leader.
His presidential term officially ended on April 2nd, and despite calls from European lawmakers and West African governments for his release, he and his wife remain in detention.
In March, the European Parliament passed a resolution that called for Bazoum’s release before April 2nd; this was condemned by Niger and its junta-led Sahel allies, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Niger and its allies have rejected Western ties in favour of partnerships with Russia; they are also founding members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which seeks to counter terrorism through shared military and intelligence resources.
Bazoum was a pro-Western president, meaning that prior to 2023, Niger was a Western ally in the Sahel; Tchiani has been critical of Western ties and accused European powers of interfering in Niger.
On March 22nd, around 1,000 Nigeriens gathered in Niamey to protest against the EU’s resolution, which has been criticised as external interference in the former French colony.
Civil society groups have denounced the EU resolution, with a spokesperson for the Alliance of Sahel States Citizen Watch stating that “behind this resolution is the hand of France.”
The AES have ramped up criticism of the West, particularly France, in recent months; they have also accused other former French colonies, such as Benin and the Ivory Coast, of acting as French proxies to destabilise the Sahel.
Growing anti-Western sentiment and Islamist insurgencies led the German embassy to withdraw its staff from Niamey on March 21st, with Berlin citing concerns about Western nationals being targeted for kidnapping and ransom.
According to data from the Global Terrorism Index, the Sahel region accounted for nearly half of all terrorism-related deaths in 2025, with groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State becoming increasingly entrenched in the region.
RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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