On Wednesday, Mohamed Bazoum, President of the Niger, was deposed from his position through a successful coup d’etat carried out by the country’s army.

Following the seizure of power, Abdourahmane Tchiani, who had been the head of the presidential guard of Niger since 2011, was announced as the country’s head of state.

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The country’s military made the announcement on Friday on the state-run-television where Tchiani named himself as the president of the national council of the safeguard of the homeland and leader of the country’s transition government.

Tchiani and the security chiefs seized power from Bazoum and arrested him claiming that they were rescuing the country from large scale insecurity and bad governance which had become widespread in the country.

As the head of the presidential guard, he and his troops were charged with the responsibility of guarding the residence of the president and his guests.

BACKGROUND

Abdourahmane Tchiani, the new Head of State of Niger Republic, is a brigadier general of the Nigerien Army. He was born in 1961.

He was first appointed as a presidential guard by President Mahamadou Issoufou in 2011.

He was said to have risen through ranks quickly because Issoufou, who was president from 2011-2021, hoped Tchiani would protect him from a possible coup d’etat.

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POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS

While he was president, Issoufou listed Tchiani as a staunch loyalist of his government and spoilt him with security privileges.

As expected, Tchiani foiled a coup attempt by a wing of the military who attempted to seize the presidential palace days before Bazoum was sworn in as president.

Two years later, as a brigadier general, he led the military into overthrowing the elected leader while installing himself as president.