US "incredibly dismayed" by reports of Niger military junta's plan to prosecute Bazoum

The US State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday (local time) that the US is "incredibly dismayed" by the reports that Niger military junta is planning to prosecute ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum.

He said that it would be "unwarranted and unjustified" if Niger’s military junta moved forward with its plan to prosecute Bazoum.

In response to a question about the Niger military junta's statement that they’re going to try Bazoum, Vedant Patel said, "We are incredibly dismayed by the reports that President Bazoum’s unjust detention has gone an even step further, and now that the CNSP is threatening prosecution. This action is completely unwarranted and unjustified, and candidly, it will not contribute to a peaceful resolution of this crisis."

"It is a further affront, in our opinion, to democracy and justice and to the respect of the rule of law. And a threat like this underscores the urgency of respecting the constitutional order in Niger," he added.

Vedant Patel's statement comes after the Niger junta on Sunday said that it had gathered evidence to prosecute the country’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason."

A statement by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) of Niger, the military council that toppled the government in July, said, "The Nigerien government has to date, gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the deposed president and his local and foreign accomplices before the competent national and international authorities for high treason and undermining internal and external security of Niger," CNN reported.

Vedant Patel further said that the US has continued to remain engaged in the region. He said that the US wants to see Mohamed Bazoum and his family unharmed. He further said that the US wants to see immediate respect for the constitutional order in Niger.

Asked about Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's visit to Niger and if there was any further contact with Niger military rulers, Vedant Patel said, "I’m not aware of any additional contact. But you all heard from Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland last week as she was getting ready to leave Niamey, and the message that the United States sent was quite clear. We expect to see President Bazoum and his family unharmed, we expect to see them released, and we expect to see an immediate respect for the constitutional order in Niger."

Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month when President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard.

Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard, said he has been deprived of all human contact and was given just dry rice and pasta by the military junta, CNN reported.

In a series of text messages to a friend, Bazoum said that he has been “deprived of all human contact” since Friday, with no one supplying him food or medicine, CNN reported.

Bazoum said that he was living without electricity for the past week and added that all the perishable food that he received was gone bad and now he is eating pasta and dry rice.