PRETORIA, August 3. /TASS/. Niger will not yield to international pressure and the military who seized power in the country would not reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdurahmane Tchiani, who has been declared head of state by the rebels, said in a televised address on Wednesday.
Tchiani said that the sanctions imposed on Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to force the rebels to restore Bazoum’s presidency are illegal and inhumane. "Nothing will hamper the interim period and the preservation of national sovereignty," he said. "We are facing external interference, which refuses to recognize our coming to power."
ECOWAS passed a decision to impose economic and trade sanctions on Niger at its summit on July 30. In line with this decision, Nigeria stopped power supplies to Niger on August 1. According to BBC, electricity outages last for 19 hours a day in Niger’s largest cities, including its capital.
On July 26, the rebels announced on national television the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, the closure of the republic's borders, a curfew, the suspension of the constitution, and a ban on the political parties’ activities. On July 28, they declared that General Abdurahmane Tchiani had become the head of state. During the coup, he led the presidential guard, whose units detained Bazoum and continue to keep him in custody.
Since then, regular demonstrations have been held in the capital city in support of the rebels and against the presence of foreign troops. Later, Niger reopened its borders.