The party of deposed President Bazoum Mohamed, in a note published this Friday, September 15, 2023, opposed a military intervention in Niger and urged its activists to remain united to end the crisis.

”Since July 26, 2023, our country, Niger, has been experiencing an extremely difficult and complex situation. To face it, our Party, the PNDS-Tarayya, organized a whole series of actions among which we can cite a declaration from the Party, endorsed by the MRN, on July 26 in the afternoon to denounce the taking hostage of the President of the Republic Mohamed Bazoum and demand his release and reinstatement in his functions” deplores the PNDS-Tarayya party.

Added to this is ”a spontaneous demonstration, on the very afternoon of the 26th, in the direction of the Presidency, a demonstration during which several gunshot wounds were recorded, a declaration from the OFT on the 27th Party headquarters, during which the headquarters was attacked and burned, many comrades were injured and more than 45 vehicles were vandalized and burned as well as marches, meetings and others,’ the party note continues.

According to the Socialist Party, ”these actions led to numerous arrests of Party officials and grassroots activists throughout the country”.

”The Presidium has taken steps towards the political parties of the majority for coordination of actions, but the results are very mixed with the suspension of the activities of the political parties and the multifaceted repression which has been put in place” denounces he.

”On the external level, the international community, led by ECOWAS and UEMOA, took energetic measures to put an end to the coup attempt and return President Bazoum to his functions, including a threat of military intervention” recalls the PNDS-TARAYYA.

Thus, he underlines, ”this last measure served as a pretext and argument to organize a vast national movement, notably in Niamey, but also a large mobilization in the ECOWAS countries, and more particularly in Nigeria, presented like a war that Nigeria will undertake against Niger.

To this end, ”all religious and political organizations in Northern Nigeria are involved. Inside the country, all the political parties stood out and our Party appeared as the only one that supports it and is marginalized as a result,” he said.

”After more than a month of waiting, within the Party, voices are also being raised for the Party to distance itself from support for armed intervention, because not only the movement against armed intervention seems to be taken over by certain opposition parties who would like to do battle with our Party definitively, but also the consequences of this intervention could be immeasurable for the hostages, the population and our country and could extend over time,” points out the party of President Bazoum.

In view of this situation, ”it appeared necessary for the Presidium to undertake discussions on this issue, which was done on September 2 and continued on September 14. A clear majority expressed themselves against armed intervention,” he reports while reaffirming ” the objectives initially defined, while now emphasizing the importance to be given to the strengthening of the Party and its demarcation from any intervention military as part of the search for solutions to end the crisis.

Thus, ”the release of President Bazoum and his family, kidnapped since July 26, and those of all the comrades arrested throughout the national territory, including the President of the National Executive Committee, Foumakoye Gado” remains the one of the party’s biggest concerns.

Also, the party calls for ”the restoration of the President of the Republic in his functions and the reestablishment of constitutional order by all non-military means as well as the strengthening of the unity and discipline of the Party”.

”The Presidium of the CEN, therefore asks the comrades to concentrate on these objectives, to put an end to all the useless debates, which only weaken and divide the Party and reduce its capacity to establish agreements and alliances with partners ” indicates the note from the Socialist Party which plans for its part to take ”all initiatives, which it asks comrades to support, to enable our Party to emerge strengthened and seasoned from this new ordeal that our country and our party cross”.

Source: Burkina Information Agency