Abdourahamane Tchiani
 | This article may be affected by the following current event: 2023 Nigerien coup d'état. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2023) |
Abdourahamane Tchiani | |
|---|---|
| File:Abdourahamane Tchiani.png | |
| President of Niger De facto | |
| Assumed office 28 July 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Amadou Abdramane (de facto) |
| President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland | |
| Assumed office 28 July 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1960 or 1961 (age 63–64)[1] Tillabéri Region, Niger |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Niger National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland |
| Branch/service | Niger Army |
| Rank | Brigade general |
| Battles/wars | 2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt 2023 Nigerien coup d'état |
Abdourahamane Tchiani (also known as Omar Tchiani)[2] is a Nigerien army brigade general and the commander of the Nigerien presidential guard.[3][4] He played a key role in the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état by arresting president Mohamed Bazoum.[5] He subsequently proclaimed himself as the "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland" on 28 July 2023.
Biography
Abdourahamane Tchiani was born in 1960. Abdourahamane Tchiani's family was from the Tillabéri Region, a main recruitment area for the Nigerien army in the west of the country.[6]
In 2011, he assumed command of the presidential guards and was a close ally of then-President Mahamadou Issoufou, who promoted him to general in 2018.[2] In 2021, he led the unit which thwarted an attempted coup; at the time a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace days before Issoufou stepped down to make way for his democratically elected successor, Mohamed Bazoum, who retained Tchiani in his post.[6]
Seizure of power
On 26 July 2023, Tchiani led the presidential guards in detaining Bazoum in the presidential palace in the capital Niamey as part of the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état. The coup was reportedly led by Tchiani, whom analysts said Bazoum had planned to relieve from his position.[7]
On 28 July, Tchiani proclaimed himself as the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland in an address on state television. He said the coup was undertaken to avoid "the gradual and inevitable demise" of the country, and said that Bazoum had tried to hide "the harsh reality" of the country, which he called "a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration". He also criticized the government's security strategy for its purported ineffectiveness but did not give a timeline for a return to civilian rule.[8][2][9]
Notes
References
- ^ "Niger coup: Abdourahmane Tchiani declares himself leader". BBC. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Niger coup: Abdourahmane Tchiani declares himself leader". BBC. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Omar Tchiani: Who is the General spearheading Niger's coup?". APA. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ Tchima Illa Issoufou; Lucy Fleming (28 July 2023). "Niger coup: President Mohamed Bazoum in good health, says France". Niamey: BBC. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Aksar, Moussa; Balima, Boureima (27 July 2023). "Niger soldiers say President Bazoum's government has been removed". Reuters. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Who is Omar Tchiani, the suspected brain behind Niger coup?". Aljazeera. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Niger's president vows democracy will prevail after mutinous soldiers detain him and declare a coup". AP News. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Niger's General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared new leader following coup (state TV)". France 24. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help) - ^ "Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup". Aljazeera. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
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