Jeddah: The democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently being held after a coup d'état, has been called for to be released immediately by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Although the EU, France, and other countries claim to still recognise Bazoum as the legitimate president, he has not been heard from since he was imprisoned inside the presidential palace early on Thursday.

The leader of the group, Hissein Brahim Taha, declared on Saturday that he was closely monitoring events in OIC member Niger with great concern. He emphasised Bazoum's safety and the necessity of restoring the rule of law in the nation, and he strongly denounced any attempt to seize power through force.

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Just as the coup leaders met with senior civil servants to discuss how they would run the country and as the US and the EU threatened sanctions against the regime, the African Union gave the Niger junta a 15-day deadline to reinstall the government.

One of the soldiers who overthrew Bazoum, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Toumba, told state television that the junta met with civil servants on Friday and instructed them to carry on with their regular duties in the wake of the suspension of the constitution.
Brigadier General Toumba stated, "The message given was not to stop the processes underway, to keep on with things.

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While the EU announced the immediate, indefinite suspension of budgetary support and security assistance to Niger, the US threatened to stop providing Niger with economic assistance.

The continuation of the US's economic and security partnership with Niger, according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is currently touring the Pacific region and is in Australia, is dependent on "the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order."

Therefore, that support and assistance are clearly in jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately undone, according to Blinken.

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Analysts urged coordination in the interventions of the international community and continental organisations like the AU and the regional bloc of ECOWAS, which is scheduled to meet over the coup on Sunday, even though there are no signs that the junta is buckling under mounting international pressure.