The daughter of detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum spoke to the British newspaper "The Guardian" about the inhumane conditions they are living under the hands of their military captors, who cut off electricity from the presidential residence, causing them to lose weight quickly while food rots in the refrigerator. Zaziya Bazoum, who was in France on vacation when presidential guards detained her father last month, said she has nearly daily phone contact with her father, mother, and brother, who are living without clean water and relying on supplies of rice and pasta, despite the gas stove having run out of fuel.
She said over the phone from Paris, "My family's situation is extremely difficult right now. They are kept in the dark, and the weather in Niger is very harsh. It is very sad that they are always in darkness and the house is very hot... It's okay for them; they say they will continue to fight, but it is hard for me and my siblings abroad to see our family in this situation and they cannot get out." Zaziya, 34 years old, trained as a banking lawyer but is working with her mother, Hadiza Bazoum, at the First Lady Noor Foundation, in the health and education sectors in Niger.
International efforts have failed to successfully pressure the military council to release her father, the democratically elected leader in the West African nation. Neighboring Nigeria has cut off electricity to Niger to pressure the military, although Zaziya stated that electricity is still available in the capital and that the fact that her family has been without electricity is a deliberate move by their captors.
She mentioned that military council leaders prevented her father's doctor from entering the presidential palace in Niamey, where he is being held, and that the soldiers instructed him not to return. She noted that her father and mother have each lost about 5 kilograms, while her brother Salem, 22, who is being held with their parents, has lost 10 kilograms. She stated, "This is extremely dangerous; they are doing this to pressure them, but it's not fair to see them in this situation."
She continued, "The food in the refrigerator, they can’t use it anymore. They don’t have fresh meat or vegetables, so they have things like rice and pasta, which is the only thing they are currently eating, and this is not beneficial for their health. You realize you can't eat rice and pasta all the time, day and night. So, it's dangerous for their health. They don't even have clean drinking water, and the cooking gas will also run out soon. So what will they eat next, because they don't want to allow anyone to come and see them."
Zaziya doubts that the military will release her father. She said, "They might allow my brother and mother to leave, but I don't think they will allow my father to come out. They know that if they let him leave, he will have supporters."
Following the interview with the daughter, who was on vacation abroad, President Bazoum's doctor announced that he was able to visit him amid growing concerns for his fate. He said he brought food for him as well as for his son and wife who are detained with him. Over two weeks after the coup that ousted him, concerns about the conditions of Bazoum's detention are increasing. Human Rights Watch previously stated that the treatment received by Bazoum and his family is "inhumane and cruel," noting that he has been deprived of electricity since August 2, and there has been no communication with him for a week.
