I now survive on dry rice, deposed Niger President cries out over hardship
Bazoum said he had been deprived of all human contact and being forced to eat dry pasta and rice.
The deposed President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum.
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![The flood forced the Kenyan to stay on the tree for days [Kenya Red Cross]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "The flood forced the Kenyan to stay on the tree for days [Kenya Red Cross]")
On July 26, 2023, Bazoum was ousted from power in a coup led by Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, who immediately suspended the country's constitution.
Though the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), under the Chairmanship of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, gave the putschists a 7-day ultimatum to release and reinstate the President or face military action, the junta stood firm and refused to budge.
As the regional body now set for another extraordinary meeting on Thursday, August 10, 2023, to discuss the next line of action on the Niger impasse, the detained President has lamented his condition in custody.
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According to CNN, Bazoum, in a series of text messages to a friend, said he had been “deprived of all human contact” since Friday, with no one supplying him with food or medicine.
The ousted President also said he had been living without electricity for a week, a normal occurrence for all Nigeriens after Nigeria cut off electric supply in response to the coup.
He also complained that all of the perishable food he was supplied with has since gone bad, and he is now eating dry pasta and rice.
Bazoum has been in isolation since he was overthrown, but he's given the privilege to contact the outside world.
The junta declined the request of the acting United States Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, to speak with the ousted President during her visit to Niamey, the Nigerien capital, on Monday, August 7, 2023.
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However, Bazoum was granted the opportunity to speak with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the phone.
Pulse had earlier reported that the 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, met with the coup leaders on Wednesday in an effort to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the matter.
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