The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is scheduled to rule on a complaint brought forth by attorneys representing former Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum regarding his overthrow in a coup in July.
Bazoum has been detained at his home in the centre of the presidential palace in the capital city of Niamey, Niger, ever since his overthrow.
Bazoum’s attorneys filed a complaint with the ECOWAS Court of Justice, focusing on “sequestration and arbitrary detention.” The ruling from the court is anticipated on Thursday, November 30.
The public prosecutor at the Niamey Court of Appeal verified on November 1st that Mohamed Bazoum had attempted to flee on October 18th. but provided no information.
On November 21, the ECOWAS Court of Justice reviewed Niger’s complaint against the regional body that had imposed sanctions in the wake of the coup d’état.
The government asked the court to relax the sanctions pending the final judgement. But ECOWAS protested against their request.
Mohamed Bazoum is the fifth Nigerien president to be overthrown by a putsch since the country gained independence from France in 1960.
The first president, Hamani Diori, overthrown in 1974, was imprisoned and then placed under house arrest for several years before being released in 1987.
