Who is Niger's new leader, Abdourahamane Tiani?

Bangkok Post Group

General Abdourahamane Tiani, the commander of Niger's presidential guard, was appointed head of state last week by a governing council set up by military forces that ousted President Mohammed Bazoum. Here's what we know about him. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00 Last Friday, General Abdouhamad Tiani declared himself Niger's new head of state.

00:07 He did so after ousting President Mohamed Bouzoum, the very man he was meant to protect.

00:14 But who is General Tiani and what do we know about him?

00:18 Tiani spent two decades climbing the ranks of Niger's army.

00:22 And in 2011, he was awarded one of the military's most prized appointments, the head of an elite

00:28 unit that protects the president.

00:31 According to a bio released by the new ruling military council, Tiani received training

00:35 in France, Morocco, Senegal and in the United States, where he attended Washington, D.C.'s

00:42 College of International Security Affairs.

00:44 He also served on UN missions in the Ivory Coast, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of

00:49 Congo and has received some of the country's highest military honors.

00:55 So why did one of Niger's most decorated generals seize power on July 26th?

01:03 Tiani says that soldiers had seized power because of worsening security in the country,

01:08 driven by a decade-long Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands of people across

01:13 the Sahel.

01:14 "The current approach has failed to secure our country, despite the heavy sacrifices

01:20 made by Nigerians and the appreciable and appreciated support of our external partners."

01:29 This justification echoes that of military leaders in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso,

01:34 who have also snatched power since 2020.

01:37 Just last week, Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, was seen as the West's

01:42 last ally in the region.

01:45 Now Tiani has become a central player overseeing the fate of a region where Russian influence

01:50 is on the rise.

01:52 Regional powers have threatened military intervention if Tiani does not return Bazoom to power within

01:58 days.

01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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