Niger Republic’s new military leader, General Abdurahmane Omar Tchiani, cuts an elusive figure. As a military officer, he seems to have created an air of mystique around himself as he gradually navigated the country’s political labyrinth to assume the highest office.
Most reports have described General Tchiani as a highly respected General in the Nigerièn army who held several command roles before assuming the position as Head of the presidential guard, the elite 700-member unit, under Mahamadou Issoufou ‘s government in 2011. Sources said Tchiani, under Issoufou’s orders, had transformed the presidential guard into a powerful machine equipped with sophisticated weapons.
Tchiani is originally from Filingue, an arid zone in the Tillaberi region, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Niamey, Little is publicly known about his personal life, education or military career. Niger’s Tillaberi region is home to Fulani, Hausa, Tuareg and Zarma (also referred to as ‘Djermaa) ethnic groups, and a major source of recruitment for the army,
Tchiani has frequently been mentioned in the media in Niger over the years for his alleged role in a 2015 coup attempt and the subsequent court case in 2018 that cleared him of involvement. Interestingly, Tchiani had foiled an attempted coup against Issoufou’s government in March 2021 – just prior to Mohamed Bazoum taking power.
He was promoted to the rank of general in 2018 by Issoufou and is believed to have been retained as head of the presidential guard on issoufou’s request before handing over power to Bazoum (the first Arab (Diffa Arab) to hold power in Niger Republic) in 2021.
Reason for the coup
Tchiani’s motivation for the coup remain unclear, but sources in Niger say there had been reports of grievances within the presidential guard over pay and rumours of a shake-up that would have included the replacement and possible retirement of 62 year-old Tchiani.
There are also opinions that suggest a more intricate political scheme at play, which involves claims that the desire to seize power had been contemplated earlier, especially considering that General Tchiani’s region of Tillaberi has been a major hotbed of a growing insurgency and other social crises in Niger Republic, prompting the general to take personal interest in the government’s efforts at pushing back the insurgency there.
The region has been repeatedly attacked for nearly eight years by insurgents linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group as well as jihadists from neighboring Nigeria. The vast area, roughly the size of South Korea, has around 150,000 internally displaced people, according to the United Nations.
There were reports that relationship between the general and Bazoum deteriorated in the past months, and that the general had been shunning “official ceremonies and activities” of the president and sent his deputy, Colonel Ibroh Amadou Bacharou, also a member of the new junta, to represent him.
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