Harare — The head of Niger's armed forces declined to free the country's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, BBC reports.

The offer was made during a conference on December 10 by Ecowas, an alliance of West African nations. His family said that after his unsuccessful attempt to break out of custody on October 19, they've heard nothing about him.

With military takeovers in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea since 2020, the region remains in crisis. Ecowas called for the junta in Niger to immediately restore civilian authority several times but to no avail. The West African alliance then instituted sanctions on the landlocked nation and threatened military involvement, which also wasn't implemented.

Ecowas joined forces with both domestic and foreign allies also asked that the junta reduce the three years that it had previously intended to transition to civilian rule - but did not specify what constitutes an appropriate transition period. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the Niger military, declared later that Bazoum would not be freed. Although he did not specify by how much, Tchiani did agree to shorten the changeover period.

After the general's speech, Ecowas declared on December 11 that it would not be lifting its sanctions against Niger. Nevertheless, it said that sanctions will gradually be lifted depending on the result of discussions with the junta, and that it would form a committee to collaborate with them on creating their transition plan.

On October 19, Bazoum tried to flee by helicopter with the help of his family, the cooks, and security, but they were unsuccessful. His family said that the day before the escape plot was the last time they heard from him.

The family also shared the "abusive" treatment they received from the new military leadership since the coup.