Nearly three years after a military coup removed him from power, Niger’s ousted president Mohamed Bazoum remains in detention with his future still uncertain. His presidential term is due to officially expire this week, but there is little sign he will be freed or brought before a court.
Bazoum was toppled on July 26, 2023, when members of his presidential guard seized power and formed the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. Since then, he has been held inside his residence at the presidential palace in Niamey alongside his wife, with no access to the outside world.
According to his legal team, the 65 year old leader is “still held in the same place and in the same conditions,” with doors and windows sealed and no visits from family, lawyers or supporters. Human Rights Watch and other groups describe his detention as arbitrary and inhumane.
In 2024, Niger’s junta lifted Bazoum’s presidential immunity and announced plans to prosecute him for high treason and undermining state security. But almost two years later, he has yet to appear before a judge or face a formal trial.
Bazoum has sought legal redress through regional and international bodies. In December 2024, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that his detention was illegal and ordered his release, but the junta ignored the ruling and later withdrew Niger from ECOWAS in early 2025.
On March 11, 2026, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his continued detention and calling for his immediate release. The military led governments of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali rejected the move as foreign interference in their internal affairs.
Rights advocates say Bazoum’s case highlights a broader authoritarian turn in parts of the Sahel. They argue that holding a democratically elected president without charge for nearly three years undermines any claims by the junta to be restoring security or building a more just political order.
For now, Bazoum’s fate remains in the hands of General Abdourahmane Tchiani and the ruling military council, which has signalled that no national elections will be held before 2030. With diplomatic pressure yet to yield results, observers fear the former president could remain in solitary detention for years to come.
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