Hassoumi Massaoudou, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Mohamed Bazoum regime, still believes in a reversal of the situation in Niger. In an interview with France 24 from his place of exile, he expressed optimism about seeing Mohamed Bazoum back in power.
More than two weeks after the coup in Niger, Mohamed Bazoum has not yet signed a letter of resignation. This resistance has posed some difficulties for the junta and has strengthened the hopes of Bazoum’s supporters who still believe that there will be a turnaround.
According to Hassoumi Massaoudou, what happened on the night of Wednesday, July 26, 2023, is not a coup d’état. He views it as a “hostage-taking.” “And I say it’s reversible because ECOWAS can no longer accept that the rule of arms prevails over the rule of ballots,” he added. The diplomat hopes that ECOWAS actions will yield results and allow the Bazoum camp to return to power.
Hassoumi Massaoudou strongly disapproves of the actions of the military, which he believes are based on nothing. According to him, everything was going well in Niger under Mohamed Bazoum. “This coup, as it’s called, happened in a calm sky. Niger was not in crisis, Niger was not in turmoil, Niger was succeeding both in the fight against terrorism and on the economic front. The growth rate, the figures, are there to prove it,” he stated.
