Zazia Bazoum Mohamed stated that her father is not resigning and is determined to “fight for the preservation of democracy.” In an open letter published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, the daughter of the overthrown Nigerien president made an appeal for help in the release of her family.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, August 22, in Le Figaro, his daughter asserts that he will not resign and is determined to “fight for the preservation of democracy.” Zazia Bazoum Mohamed also calls for the release of her father, who has been held captive at the presidential palace since the coup on July 26, as well as the “restoration of constitutional order” in Niger.
In the letter, she recalls that her father was “democratically elected” and that “he is the choice of the people.” “Today, taken hostage with his family, he is not resigning because he values democratic principles and has always fought against military regimes,” she adds. “He is fighting and sacrificing himself for the future of our beloved country, Niger, for the Sahel, and for all of West Africa.” He could have given up to “spare this suffering” for his family and “secure an important international position.” “But he has chosen to fight for the preservation of democracy in Niger.”
“This injustice against my family and against Niger leads me to wonder if there is no link to the fact that Niger was to become an oil-exporting country in three months,” Zazia Bazoum Mohamed believes. According to her, “the hostage takers and their accomplices know that no one will personally benefit from the oil windfall” with her father leading the country. Mohamed Bazoum “will always ensure that this wealth benefits the Nigerien people and not an elite that believes itself to be superior to the Nigeriens,” she asserts.
