Niger: Ousted president's lawyers deny escape accusation

Lawyers for Niger's deposed President Mohamed Bazoum have rejected claims by the country's military junta that he attempted to escape custody.

"We strongly reject these fabricated accusations against president Bazoum," said Mohamed Seydou Diagne, coordinator of an international team of lawyers representing the ousted leader.

The lawyer said Bazoum was being held "incommunicado" which was "a new red line which has been crossed by a junta which continues to violate the fundamental rights of our client."

Earlier, Niger's military rulers said they had thwarted an attempt by former President Mohamed Bazoum to escape their custody on Thursday.

Bazoum was ousted by the military on July 26, and had refused to resign. He remains under house arrest with his family.

What Niger's junta said about the alleged escape attempt

Junta spokesperson Amadou Abdramane outlined the escape allegations against Bazoum on state television on Thursday.

"At around three in the morning, the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and his family, his two cooks and two security elements, tried to escape from his place of detention," he said.

Abdramane condemned Bazoum's actions as "irresponsible." He said the escape involved primary actors and accomplices.

The plan for the escape involved Bazoum initially reaching a hideout on the outskirts of capital Niamey, said Abdramane. The group then had intentions of departing via helicopters "belonging to a foreign entity" en route to Nigeria.

Bazoum was detained at his official residence within the presidential palace alongside his wife Haziza and son Salem. 

In September, Bazoum's legal team revealed that he had filed a legal case with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court against those responsible for his ouster. They stated their intention to bring his case before the UN Human Rights Council.

Laywers demand release of Bazoum

On Friday, another of Bazoum's lawyers said a doctor was prevented from bringing food to the family.

"Not only must the military authorities provide us with proof that President Bazoum and his family are alive, but above all they must release them immediately," said Reed Brody.

"It is absurd to accuse someone of escaping," he added.

French troop withdrawal underway

The military officers who orchestrated Bazoum's removal said the deteriorating security situation in Niger led them to oust him. They said they were better positioned to tackle the Islamist insurgency in Niger.

Due to the army takeover in Niger, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France was ending its military presence and would pull its ambassador out of the country.

"As of today, 282 people have left," Niger's Colonel Mamane Sani Kaiou said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart on Friday.

"In the next few days, close to 400 or more will be leaving, bringing the troops here in Niger down to half of the 1,450."

The coup in Niger was one of five that have swept the Sahel region in three years, leaving much of the region under military control.

French troops have already been pushed out by military regimes in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.

Both of those countries are seeing a rise in jihadi attacks.  

zc, tg/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)