In October 2023, a Niger court ordered the release of Mohamed Bazoum Salem from custody.
A coup took place in Niger on July 26, 2023. President Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani.
Following the coup, ECOWAS suspended all cooperation with Niger and sanctioned the country by banning the import of medicine and food and cutting off electricity. It also threatened an invasion if the rebels did not reinstate Bazoum.
Niger's Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine called these punitive measures "inhumane." Moreover, the United Nations and a number of humanitarian groups were appealing to the ECOWAS to allow exemptions to the sanctions as these measures were posing a threat to the health and well-being of the population.
In late December, French radio RFI reported that Niger and ECOWAS were negotiating a transition period in the country.
Talks on the transition terms for a coup-hit Niger between the country's military authorities and the mediation group, set up by the ECOWAS, will take place in January.