Niger’s junta leader appoints new head of military following mutiny

Niger’s junta leader appointed a new armed forces chief, less than two weeks after a deadly mutiny threatened the junta’s grip on power.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani named Brig. Gen. Mamane Sani Kiaou chief of staff of the armed forces in a decree read on state television late Friday. No reason was given for the change.

Kiaou replaces Maj. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, a junta member who had served as top military commander since the July 2023 coup that ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

The reshuffle followed a nearly 24-hour mutiny in the capital Niamey on Aug. 28 and 29. Mostly young soldiers took other members of the armed forces hostage at Base 101, a military base at Diori Hamani International Airport, and fired at sensitive sites, according to Niger’s Defense Ministry.

The mutineers appeared to be aggrieved over worsening militant violence and poor conditions within the military, analysts and diplomats said. Some came from areas in Niger’s south and west that have been hit hardest by attacks.