“This November 26, 2025, marks exactly twenty-eight (28) months since the democratically elected President of the Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and his wife, Hadiza Bazoum, were held captive in violation of national and international law. Their isolation is a crime against humanity.” This heartfelt plea comes from the Collective of Friends of President Bazoum in Dakar.

Former advisor to President Macky Sall, Talla Sylla, and his colleagues believe that "beyond the violent interruption of the democratic process on July 26, 2023, the detention of the presidential couple has become a humanitarian and legal aberration. The deafening silence surrounding their fate is a collective shame that we can no longer tolerate."

Hostages, not detainees: the reality of arbitrary power

According to the group, the conditions of detention imposed on Mohamed Bazoum and Hadiza are unambiguous: they are deprived of all contact with the outside world, cut off from their lawyers, and subjected to total isolation. As several legal experts have pointed out, while the Nigerien justice system speaks of political charges (high treason), the reality places the former presidential couple in the category of arbitrary detainees and, even more seriously, political hostages.

In a civilized society, they continued, even criminals have the right to visits, dignified treatment, and access to justice. The human rights violations suffered by President Bazoum—denial of access to medical care, sensory isolation, and psychological torture—constitute inhuman and degrading treatment. These flagrant violations were also confirmed by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

In their eyes, what is at stake is not only the fate of a man and his wife, but the very negation of humanity and the principles of the rule of law in the 21st century.

The duty to act: an urgent appeal to the international community

The Friends of Bazoum Collective in Dakar, faced with "this institutionalized violence and the risk that this situation will be forgotten," is making a solemn appeal to regional and international institutions. It demands the implementation of the ECOWAS decision: the ECOWAS Court of Justice has ruled. It has asked the regional organization to take all necessary measures, including diplomatic and economic ones, to guarantee the execution of its ruling ordering the immediate release of Mohamed Bazoum and his wife.