The Latest Breaking News from Mohamed Bazoum

West African leaders on Sunday kept sanctions imposed on Niger after a July military coup and demanded progress towards a short transition to civilian rule before easing the measures.

Leaders from across West Africa are meeting in Nigeria in a renewed push for respect for democracy across the coup-hit region

French President Emmanuel Macron and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara have discussed the aftermath of the coup in Niger and the "rapid deterioration" of the security situation in the Sahel at a meeting in the L'Elysée Palace in Paris.

Three months after a military junta seized power in Niger, overthrowing democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the country remains increasingly isolated. Rights groups warn Niger's population of 27 million now face a multitude of crises including insecurity, poverty and loss of personal freedoms.

Families in Niger say they are struggling after economic sanctions imposed in response to a military coup three months ago

A relative of the outsted Niger president Mohamed Bazoum said that while he is is still being held in the capital Niamey, he is with his family and in safety.

Niger's junta said on Thursday that it had thwarted an escape attempt by ousted President Bazoum. Bazoum denies the claim. He has been imprisoned by the military since the 26 July coup despite international calls for his release.

The junta in Niger says it has thwarted an escape attempt to by the West African nation's outed president

The French military says it's begun withdrawing from Niger following the July coup when mutinous soldiers toppled the country’s democratically elected president