US President Joe Biden called on Thursday for the immediate release of Niger’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum and for the country’s democracy to be preserved.
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“I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger’s hard-earned democracy,” Biden said in a statement Thursday, the 63rd anniversary of Niger’s independence.

“In this critical moment, the United States stands with the people of Niger to honor our decades-long partnership rooted in shared democratic values and support for civilian-led governance,” he said.

Bazoum, 63, was ousted a week ago by his own guard in a coup condemned by the United States, European nations and the United Nations.
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“The Nigerien people have the right to choose their leaders,” Biden said. “They have expressed their will through free and fair elections — and that must be respected.”

Bazoum was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger’s first peaceful transition of power.

He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence from France in 1960.

The clock is ticking on a demand made Sunday by West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the coup leaders to restore Bazoum to power within a week or face the possible “last resort” of military intervention.

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