General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the military leader who seized power in Niger’s July 2023 coup, was sworn in as transitional president on Wednesday, according to AP News.
The ceremony in the capital Niamey formally entrenches military rule and defies demands from West African leaders for a swift return to civilian government. The extended transition period, described as “flexible” by government secretary general Mahamane Roufai, marks a significant escalation in tensions between Niger‘s authorities and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The regional bloc had previously rejected the initial three-year transition proposal as excessively long before Niger, along with fellow military-ruled neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, exited the organisation in January.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, Tchiani was promoted to the rank of army general, Niger’s highest military distinction. The move solidifies his authority ahead of what analysts predict could become a prolonged military administration.
If the transition proceeds as planned, Tchiani would remain in power until at least 2030, mirroring extended military transitions underway in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The inauguration represents the latest rebuke to ECOWAS, which had imposed harsh economic sanctions and threatened military intervention following the coup. While those sanctions were lifted after Niger’s withdrawal from the bloc, the political impasse continued, with ECOWAS maintaining its demand for immediate elections.
