Military Head
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Niger heads into another transition to democracy as General Abdourahamane Tiani becomes military head of state
The head of Niger’s presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on Friday on state television as the president of the transitional council that seized power in a coup on Wednesday.
The guard instigated the coup on Wednesday and detained President Mohamed Bazoum in the presidential palace. A group of soldiers who later appeared on state television said they had stripped Bazoum of power.
Tiani appeared on Télé Sahel with a banner identifying him as “President of the national council for the preservation of the fatherland.”
Hundreds of supporters of the coup gather and hold a Russian flag in front of the National Assembly in the capital Niamey, Niger July 27, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, who announced the coup, said the military had acted in response to deteriorating security and bad governance.
Abdourahamane Tiani reiterated that soldiers seized power due to the worsening security. He also criticized the non-cooperation with military governments in Burkina Faso and Mali in the fight against insurgencies in the region.Insecurity has remained a problem since Bazoum was elected in 2021 as jihadists that took root in Mali in 2012 gained ground, killing thousands and displacing over 6 million across the Sahel.
Supporters of the coup ransacked and set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party in Niamey, the capital, on Thursday after the army command declared its backing for the takeover started by soldiers of the presidential guard.
The same crowd had previously gathered in front of the National Assembly. Some waved Russian flags and chanted anti-French slogans, echoing a growing wave of resentment towards former colonial power France and its influence in the Sahel region. Niger gained independence from France in 1960.
State TV later showed a statement from the interior ministry condemning acts of vandalism and banning demonstrations until further notice.
France, the country’s former colonial power, and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS called for Bazoum’s immediate release and a return to constitutional order. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said that constitutional order should be restored.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said cooperation with Niger’s government was contingent on its “continued commitment to democratic standards”.
The U.S. also supports taking action at the United Nations Security Council to de-escalate the situation in Niger, a spokesperson for the U.S. U.N. mission said.African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said he had spoken on Thursday with Bazoum and that the president was “fine”, Russian news agency RIA reported.
Source Reuters/RT/CNN/X
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