Niger’s coup leader calls himself president

The chief of the presidential guard, Abdourahamane Tchiani, has been named president of the newly established military council.

General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of Niger’s presidential guard who overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum last week, has declared himself the new national leader.

On Friday, Abdourahamane, also known as Omar Tchiani, came on the official TV channel Tele Sahel, claiming to be the president of the newly constituted military council, the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, and saying that the coup on Wednesday was to preserve national security.

President Bazoum was detained early Wednesday by members of his security detail, and top military authorities subsequently announced that he had been removed from power and all state institutions had been suspended.

Niamey is regarded as a Western ally in combating jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel region, with troops from France and the United States stationed there.

The disturbance has attracted worldwide censure, with French President Emmanuel Macron joining the West African regional organisation (ECOWAS) in asking that the coup leaders release Bazoum.

Macron lauded Bazoum as a “courageous leader who is making the reforms and investments that his country requires,” adding that Paris will back regional countries in putting penalties on the coup plotters.

Tchiani, who had led the presidential guard since 2011, justified his actions on Thursday as a reaction to the “deteriorating security situation.” He claimed that the administration had failed to provide the people of Niger with “a glimpse of a real way out of the crisis.”

“The harsh reality of insecurity in Niger, as experienced by our defence forces and hardworking populations, with its toll of deaths, displacement, humiliation, and frustration, reminds us on a daily basis of this stark reality,” Tchiani added.

He also criticised the lack of collaboration with the Mali and Burkina Faso juntas in tackling insurgencies in the region.

Bazoum was elected in Niger’s first democratic handover of power in 2021, following years of political upheaval. Since achieving independence from France in 1960, the former French colony has experienced five power grabs.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the coup as a “anti-constitutional act,” joining US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in criticising the “unacceptable” takeover of power.