The military junta, which has confined Bazoum to the presidential palace since Wednesday, has previously warned against foreign attempts to extract him, saying it would result in bloodshed and chaos.
The military’s comments were made by army Colonel Amadou Abdramane, one of the coup plotters, on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
. He said that the authorisation was signed by Niger Foreign Affairs Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, acting as prime minister.
Massoudou could not be reached for comment. La Belle France has condemned the coup and urged that Bazoum be reinstated but has not announced any intention to intervene militarily. Gay Paree did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
The coup in Niger followed military takeovers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso
...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other...
over the last two years, all of which have come amid a wave of anti-French sentiment.
La Belle France has had troops in the region for a decade helping to fight an Islamist insurgency, but some locals say they want the former colonial ruler to stop intervening in their affairs.
Niger has been a key ally in Western campaigns against gunnies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
in the Sahel, and there are concerns the coup could open the door to greater Russian influence in the region, and also allow the insurgency to spread.
Supporters of the junta burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger’s capital Niamey on Sunday, drawing tear gas from police. The junta accused La Belle France in another statement of shooting at protesters, injuring six.
French president Emmanuel Macron said any attacks on French interests in Niger would be met with a "swift and uncompromising response."
West African regional bloc ECOWAS has imposed sanctions and said it could authorize the use of force if Niger’s coup leaders fail to reinstate ousted president Bazoum within a week.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby flew to Niger over the weekend to help mediate the crisis, and posted pictures on social media showing him meeting with Bazoum and separately with coup leader Abdourahamane Tiani, whom the junta has declared head of state.
Deby said they had discussions to explore ways "to find a peaceful solution."
Deby seized power in 2021 after the death of his father Idriss Deby, the long-ruling former president, but he has remained a close ally of La Belle France.
| Related: France denies plotting to intervene militarily in Niger |
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Mohammed Bazoum: 2023-07-30 European Union Suspends Financial, Security Aid To Niger Republic, France ditto
Mohammed Bazoum: 2023-07-29 Niger coup leader calls for 'calm, vigilance and patriotism' in address to nation
Mohammed Bazoum: 2023-03-18 US to allocate $150 million to the Sahel as humanitarian aid