WASHINGTON: The United States has expressed concern about the deteriorating health of Niger’s detained president Mohamed Bazoum, western media reported on Wednesday.
The AFP reported that State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists that the US is greatly worried about the health and safety of Bazoum and his family.
The development comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to him on the telephone.
Bazoum, the democratically elected Western ally has been facing detention since July 26 following a military coup.
Blinken calls Bazoum to inquire health
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the isolation of the ousted president is a matter of great concern for the US, however, he did not share any details from Blinken’s call.
Meanwhile, Niger’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou has recently stated that Mohamed Bazoum is being held with his wife and son without electricity or water.
Earlier, the African bloc ECOWAS had given a week to the coup leaders in Niger to restore the democratic government or face military intervention.
However, the efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to resolve the crisis in the country have failed to make any progress so far.
ECOWAS has already imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the military coup in the country.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has warned against the activities of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, adding that it can exploit the instability in Niger after a military coup.
The neighboring country of Mali has formed a partnership with Moscow, raising fears over Russia’s growing influence in the area.
Niger has played a key role in Western strategies to fight and combat jihadist insurgencies with the support of France and the United States.
