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The military junta in the Niger Republic has threatened that the detained President of the country, Mohamed Bazoum, will be executed if there's any military intervention to restore him to power.
The threat came to light hours after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) activated its standby force for a possible military invasion of the politically troubled country.
Representatives of the junta informed the U.S. Under Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, of the threat to Bazoum during her visit to the country earlier this week, a Western military official who craved anonymity told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, corroborated the account to AP.
Bazoum has been held hostage at his residence since his ouster from power in a July 26, 2023, coup led by Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani.
ECOWAS, during its Extraordinary meeting in Abuja on Thursday, August 10, 2023, directed the deployment of a “standby force” to restore democracy in Niger after the coup.
However, the regional bloc gave no details about the make-up, location, and proposed date of deployment for any military intervention force.
ECOWAS had earlier given the Niger military leaders a seven-day ultimatum to restore constitutional order in the West African country but they instead went ahead to appoint a Prime Minister in a move that indicated their resolve to set up a new government.