By Moussa Soumana in Niamey
Niger’s former president, Mohamed Bazoum, officially reaches the end of his presidential term on Thursday, nearly three years after being removed from office in a military coup. Despite this, he remains in detention, with no clarity on whether he will be released or face any legal proceedings.
Bazoum, 66, assumed the presidency on April 2, 2021, after securing 55% of the vote in democratic elections. He was ousted on July 26, 2023, by a military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, and has since been confined in a section of the presidential palace in Niamey, where he remains with his wife.
Despite his removal, Bazoum has refused to resign. His legal team argues that his official term should not be considered complete, as he has been prevented from exercising presidential 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, one of Bazoum’s lawyers, told AFP and reported by AfricaNews.
However, political scientist Valery Ntwali, a specialist in coups in sub-Saharan Africa, pointed out that under Nigerien law, Bazoum has lost his legal standing. “The Constitution under which he was elected has been suspended,” Ntwali said. The junta replaced the Constitution with a charter adopted in March 2026, which allows the military to remain in power for up to five years, with the possibility of renewal. No elections have been held since the coup.
This has created legal ambiguity, with uncertainty over whether Niger should follow the suspended pre-coup Constitution or the new junta-imposed charter. “There is no international authority imposing its view. Some national authorities will negotiate with the junta, while others do not recognise it,” Ntwali explained.
The junta has emphasized national sovereignty, a principle shared by similar regimes in Burkina Faso and Mali, and has maintained a tense stance toward certain Western nations. Nevertheless, Niger has resumed limited cooperation with the United States on security issues, two years after expelling American troops involved in counter-jihadist operations. The country has also strengthened ties with Russia.
Relations remain strained with France, Niger’s former colonial power, which has consistently called for Bazoum’s release. The European Union also has expressed concern: earlier this month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding Bazoum’s immediate release. The move sparked protests in Niamey and, to a lesser extent, in Ouagadougou. French MEP Christophe Gomart criticized the international community, stating, “This is a failure… The European Union should have applied pressure given its influence and funding in Africa.”
Bazoum’s presidential immunity was lifted in 2024, but his lawyers argue that the end of his term is unlikely to accelerate any trial. “For the junta, this is less a legal issue than a security one: what matters to them is that President Bazoum serves as a human shield,” said lawyer Mohamed Seydou Diagne, referring to the junta’s concerns over potential intervention by West African countries.
Nearly three years after his detention, Bazoum remains confined in the same secure section of the presidential palace. According to his lawyers, the facility has no windows or doors, and visits are limited to his doctor.
