(BBC News) General Abdourahmane Tchiani has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a dramatic coup.
Also known as Omar Tchiani, he staged a takeover that started on Wednesday when the presidential guards unit he led seized the country’s leader.
Deposed President Mohamed Bazoum was Niger’s first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960.
Bazoum is thought to be in good health, held captive by his own guards.
He had been considered a key ally by western nations in the fight against Islamist militants in the region.
France – the former colonial power – has said that it does not recognize any of the coup’s leaders and will only recognize Bazoum as head of state.
“We reiterate in the strongest terms the international community’s clear demand for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and democratically elected civilian power,” a statement from the French foreign ministry read.
The coup has been roundly condemned by international bodies including the African Union, West African regional bloc (Ecowas), the European Union, and the United Nations.
Tchiani, 62, 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.
He had been linked to a 2015 coup attempt against the ex-president, but appeared in court to deny it.
Speaking in a televised address, Tchiani said his junta took over because of problems in Niger including insecurity, economic woes, and corruption. He addressed Niger’s global allies, saying the junta would respect all of the country’s international commitments, as well as human rights.
But the junta has had strong words for those who oppose them, accusing members of the ousted government who have taken refuge in foreign embassies of plotting against them.
They said any such attempt would lead to bloodshed, which has so far been avoided.
Life in the capital Niamey has largely returned to normal with markets and shops open, but civil servants have been told to go home.
Niger’s coup is the latest in a wave of military takeovers that have hit the West African region in recent years, toppling governments in countries including Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
It comes as a big blow to the leadership of Ecowas. Just two weeks ago, the bloc’s chairman, President Bola Tinubu, warned that terrorism and the emerging pattern of coups in West Africa had reached alarming levels and demanded urgent, concerted actions.
There are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with. Niger’s neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both pivoted toward Russia since their own coups.
This is the fifth coup in Niger since it gained independence from France in 1960, on top of other unsuccessful takeover attempts.
