Abdourahamane Tchiani | |
|---|---|
عبد الرحمن تشياني | |
.jpg) Tchiani in 2025 | |
| 11th President of Niger | |
| Assumed office 26 March 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Ali Lamine Zeine |
| Vice President | Salifou Modi |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Bazoum (2023) |
| President of theNational Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland | |
| Assumed office 28 July 2023[1][2][3] | |
| Prime Minister | Ali Lamine Zeine |
| Vice President | Salifou Modi |
| Preceded by | Collective leadership[4][5][6][7][8] |
| Leader ofNiger | |
| De facto 26 July 2023 – 28 July 2023 | |
| President | Collective leadership[4][5][6][10][8] |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Bazoum (as President) |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland) |
| Commander of the Presidential Guards | |
| In office 8 April 2011 – 8 August 2023 | |
| President | Mahamadou Issoufou Mohamed Bazoum |
| Succeeded by | Habibou Assoumane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1961 (age 63–64) Toukounous, Filingué, Niger |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Niger National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland |
| Branch/service | Niger Army |
| Years of service | 1984–present |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Boko Haram insurgency Jihadist insurgency in Niger 2021 Nigerien coup attempt 2023 Nigerien coup d'état 2023–2024 Nigerien crisis |
GeneralAbdourahamane Tchiani (Arabic:عبد الرحمن تشياني,romanized: ‘Abd ar-Rahman Tshiyānī; born 1961) is a Nigerien military officer who has served as the 11thpresident of Niger since 2025 and the president of theNational Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, themilitary junta of Niger, since 2023. Having previously served as the Chief of the Nigerien Presidential guard (2011–2023), he played a key role in the2023 coup d'état by detaining PresidentMohamed Bazoum.[11][12][13] His coup triggered theNigerien crisis, which ended in 2024.
Tchiani was born in 1960, 1961,[14] or 1964.[15][16] He hails fromToukounous in theTillabéri Region,[15] a main recruitment area for theNigerien army in the west of the country.[17] He is a member of theHausa people.[18] He completed his secondary education in the capitalNiamey, graduating with aBaccalauréat in 1984. He then joined the army and studied at the National School of Active Officers inThiès, Senegal in the same year.[19]
Before becoming Commander of the Presidential guard, he led forces inZinder,Agadez, andDiffaregions where he combated drug trafficking.[19] In 1989, he was the firstofficer to make it to the site of theUTA Flight 772 crash in theTénéré desert, for which he was decorated.[20] He also served in UN peacekeeping missions in theIvory Coast,Sudan, and theDemocratic Republic of Congo.[21] He also served in theMultinational Joint Task Force set up by Niger,Chad,Nigeria andCameroon to fightBoko Haram.[18]
In 2011, Tchiani assumed command of the Presidential Guard and was a close ally of then-PresidentMahamadou 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.[22] He was otherwise seen as keeping his views to himself during that time.[18]
In 2021, Tchiani led the unit that thwarted anattempted 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.[17]
On 26 July 2023, Tchiani led the Presidential guards in detaining President Bazoum in the Presidential palace inNiamey as part of the2023 Nigerien coup d'état. The coup was reportedly led by Tchiani, whom analysts said Bazoum had planned to relieve from his position.[23] 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.[24]
On 28 July, Tchiani revealed himself as the president of theNational Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which took power on 26 July, in an address onstate 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.[25][22][26] Shortly afterwards, during a meeting with a delegation fromECOWAS, Tchiani proposed a three-year window for a transition to civilian rule.[27]
His coup led to the2023 Nigerien crisis.[28]
Under Tchiani's leadership, Niger joinedBurkina Faso andMali in a new alliance called theAlliance of Sahel States.US andEU troops were withdrawn from the country. The country also aligned itself closer toRussia andmercenary troops from theWagner Group were sent to help Niger combat the Jihadist insurgents.[29]
Analysts identified three main objectives of Tchiani's internal policy: modernizing the army, promotingeconomic growth (including a lessened dependence onuranium through investments inagriculture,infrastructure andrenewable energy), and implementing ananti-corruption agenda.[30]
In December 2024, Tchiani accused France andNigeria of colluding with rebel groups to destabilize the Nigerien government, as well as accusing Nigeria of sabotagingthe oil pipeline toBenin. Nigeria denied these allegations.[31]
In January 2025, according to theWorld Health Organization, Niger became the firstAfrican country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicateonchocerciasis (a goal it had already been working towards for several years prior to the coup).[32]
Tchiani was formally sworn in as president on 26 March 2025, for the term of five years, and promoted to the rank of general.[33][34][35]
Like before the coup d'état the economic system is based uponplanning 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 theECOWAS, leftNiger 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.[36]
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.[37]
In June 2024, themilitary 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".[38]
Hisprime minister andfinance ministerAli Lamine Zeine was affiliated with theMNSD-Nassara, a party which advocates for liberal economic policies.[39][40][41][42][43]
Tchiani is married and has five children.[15] He is Muslim.[44]
There was also speculation that this may have been because of the general's age, who is 62 [...]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Niger 2025–present | Incumbent |
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