General Abdourahmane Tchiani has declared himself the new leader of Niger Republic after the country’s military ousted its civilian leader, Mohamed Bazoum.
The 62-year-old staged a takeover that started on Wednesday, July 28, 2023, when the presidential guards unit he led seized Bazoum and detained him in his presidential residence. The military takeover has now put an end to Niger’s democratic transition that took place in 1960.
The coup has been condemned by the African Union, AU, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, the European Union, EU, and the United Nations, UN.
Tchiani has been in charge of the presidential guard since 2011 and was promoted to the rank of general in 2018 by former President Mahamadou Issoufou.
In 2015, he was linked with a coup attempt against Issoufou but appeared in court to deny it.
Tchiani has come out to say his junta ousted President Bazoum because of several problems in the country, including insecurity, economic woes, and corruption, amongst other matters.
Niger’s coup is the latest in a wave of takeovers that have hit the West African region in recent years, toppling governments in countries like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
It also comes as a big challenge to the leadership of ECOWAS as the bloc’s chairman, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, two weeks ago warned that terrorism and the emerging pattern of coups in West Africa had reached alarming levels and demanded urgent, concerted actions.
