A West African court on Friday ruled that the ousted president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and his family were arbitrarily detained and called for his reinstatement, Reuters reported. 

After being overthrown on July 26 in a military coup, Bazoum and his family have been detained.

The coup was widely condemned and resulted in sanctions imposed by West Africa's primary political and economic bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), amid strong calls for democratic government to be restored.

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ordered Niger's junta to restore constitutional order by reinstating Bazoum.

Bazoum assumed office in 2021 after winning the elections. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Niger has witnessed four coups.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: File photo of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland on November 1, 2021. /CFP )