Abdourahamane Tchiani

Abdourahamane Tchiani (; born early 1960s) is a Nigerien military officer who has served as the 11th president of Niger since 2025 and the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, the military junta of Niger, since 2023. Having previously served as the Chief of the Nigerien Presidential guard (2011–2023), he played a key role in the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état by detaining President Mohamed Bazoum. His coup triggered the Nigerien crisis, which ended in 2024.

Early life

Tchiani was born in 1960, 1961, or 1964. He hails from Toukounous in the Tillabéri Region, a main recruitment area for the Nigerien army in the west of the country. He is a member of the Hausa people. He joined the army in 1984 and studied at the National School of Active Officers in Thiès, Senegal.

Military career

Before becoming Commander of the Presidential guard, he led forces in Zinder, Agadez, and Diffa regions where he combated drug trafficking. In 1989, he was the first officer to make it to the site of the UTA Flight 772 crash in the Ténéré desert, for which he was decorated. He also served in UN peacekeeping missions in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also served in the Multinational Joint Task Force set up by Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram.

In 2011, Tchiani assumed command of the Presidential guards and was a close ally of then-President Mahamadou Issoufou, who promoted him to general in 2018. In 2015, Tchiani was accused of involvement in a coup plot against Issoufou but denied the charges in court. He was otherwise seen as keeping his views to himself during that time.

In 2021, Tchiani led the unit that thwarted an attempted coup; at the time a military unit tried to seize the Presidential palace two days before Issoufou stepped down to make way for his democratically elected successor, Mohamed Bazoum, who retained Tchiani in his post.

Seizure of power

On 26 July 2023, Tchiani led the Presidential guards in detaining President 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. Sources close to Bazoum said that he had decided on Tchiani's dismissal at a cabinet meeting on 24 July as their relations had reportedly become strained.

On 28 July, Tchiani revealed himself as the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which took power on 26 July, 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. Shortly afterwards, during a meeting with a delegation from ECOWAS, Tchiani proposed a three-year window for a transition to civilian rule.

His coup led to the 2023 Nigerien crisis.

Leadership

Under Tchiani's leadership, Niger joined Burkina Faso and Mali in a new alliance called the Alliance of Sahel States. US and EU troops were withdrawn from the country. The country also aligned itself closer to Russia and mercenary troops from the Wagner Group were sent to help Niger combat the Jihadist insurgents.

Analysts identified three main objectives of Tchiani's internal policy: modernizing the army, promoting economic growth (including a lessened dependence on uranium through investments in agriculture, infrastructure and renewable energy), and implementing an anti-corruption agenda.

In December 2024, Tchiani accused France and Nigeria of colluding with rebel groups to destabilize the Nigerien government, as well as accusing Nigeria of sabotaging the oil pipeline to Benin. Nigeria denied these allegations.

In January 2025, according to the World Health Organization, Niger became the first African country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicate onchocerciasis (a goal it had already been working towards for several years prior to the coup).

Tchiani was formally sworn in as president on 26 March 2025, for the term of five years, and promoted to the rank of general.

Economy

Like before the coup d'état the economic system is based upon planning but accords an important role to private enterprise. The three main policy objectives are the maintenance of national unity, the elevation of the living standards of the population, and the attainment of economic independence. The private sector of the economy consists partly of a multitude of small enterprises and partly of enterprises belonging to large French or international companies.

In October 2023, the sanctions and the suspension of international finance and of aids of the ECOWAS, left Niger as one of the poorest country at that time. Niger's governing junta announced at the start of the month a 40 % cut in the 2023 budget due to "heavy sanctions imposed by international and regional organizations ... exposing the country to a major drop in external and internal revenue." Nigeria, a supplier of 71% of Niger's electricity prior to the coup, contributed to Niamey's crisis by halting its services. Niger's Nigelec state-owned utility company could in October 2023 meet between a quarter and half of demand across the country, the World Bank said, adding the financial situation was deteriorating.

In February 2024, a new regulation law was issued to secure unrestricted access to state resources. According to which military spending is no longer subject to public procurement regulations, and thus independent control. This has not only paved the way for faster processing of arms purchases or the use of mercenaries, but also for the personal enrichment of the new rulers.

In June 2024, the military junta revoked the operating licence of French nuclear fuel producer Orano at one of the world's biggest uranium mines. Days later, it announced that the Imouraren mine had returned "to the state's public domain".

His prime minister and finance minister Ali Lamine Zeine was affiliated with the MNSD-Nassara, a party which advocates for liberal economic policies.

Personal life

Tchiani is married and has five children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchiani, Abdourahamane
1960s births
Living people
People from Tillabéri Region
Hausa people
Presidents of Niger
Nigerien military personnel
Leaders who took power by coup
20th-century Nigerien people
21st-century Nigerien politicians
Date of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
Anti-Americanism
Anti-French sentiment
Anti-imperialism in Africa
Pan-Africanists
Nigerien Muslims