Niger military government reshuffles army command weeks after deadly mutiny

New main of unit appointed aft failed mutiny tested subject rulers’ grip connected power.

Niger’s subject authorities has named a caller main of the equipped forces arsenic it reshuffled its apical subject bid pursuing a failed mutiny precocious past month.

A decree work connected authorities tv connected Friday announced that General Mamane Sani Kiaou, antecedently the army’s main of staff, would instrumentality implicit arsenic caput of the equipped forces, replacing General Moussa Salaou Barmou.

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Both men had held senior posts since a July 2023 coup brought a radical of service officers – led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani – to power.

No crushed was fixed for Barmou’s removal.

General Abdourahmane Abou Zataka has been promoted to win Kiaou arsenic service main of staff, according to the aforesaid decree.

Regional broadcaster RFI reported that General Ismael K Sidi Omar has besides been named the caller second-in-command of the wide staff. Sidi Omar antecedently commanded Base 101, RFI reported, the airdrome basal astatine the centre of the mutiny, and remained loyal to Tchiani passim the crisis.

The mutiny that began connected August 28 lasted astir 24 hours, drafting successful warring astatine the statesmanlike palace, Niamey’s planetary airdrome and a adjacent subject base.

Mostly young soldiers took chap servicemen hostage and opened occurrence connected respective delicate sites, according to Niger’s Ministry of Defence.

Military authorities forces needed enactment from Russia’s Africa Corps, a state-backed unit that has replaced the mercenary radical Wagner successful respective African countries, which stepped successful with crushed and aerial support.

Dozens of mutineers were killed oregon arrested, on with 3 members of the statesmanlike guard, though the authorities has not disclosed an wide decease toll oregon said what charges detained soldiers mightiness face.

Analysts and diplomats told The Associated Press quality bureau that the mutineers appeared driven by choler implicit worsening attacks by equipped groups and mediocre conditions wrong the military.

Kiaou is simply a tract commandant who has led operations against equipped groups successful Niger’s occidental Tillaberi portion and the southeastern Diffa region, and helped negociate the withdrawal of French and United States troops aft the coup.

State media reported helium precocious completed a circuit of the country’s main garrisons intended to reconstruct unity among the ranks.

Tchiani’s authorities seized power successful July 2023 from elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who remains successful detention, arguing the civilian authorities had failed to incorporate equipped groups and violence.

Since then, Niger has cut subject ties with France and the US and drawn person to Russia, adjacent arsenic the information concern has continued to deteriorate.

Niger has accused France of being down past month’s mutiny, an allegation the French authorities dismissed arsenic “pure fantasy”.