Niger coup: General Abdourahamane Tiani announces his takeover

General Tiani, the commander of the presidential guard, spoke to the nation on midday of Friday 28 July. He introduced himself as the head of the CNSP, the junta that declared it had deposed President Bazoum two days earlier. The General justified the coup due to “the degradation of the security situation” in the country.

“My fellow citizens, it is evident that the fallen authorities were engaged in setting up a sort of militia for their sole interest,” stated the two-star brigadier general. The coup leader, General Tiani, had not spoken publicly until now. Up to this point, Colonel Amadou Abdramane had been speaking on behalf of the CNSP.

Calling for “serenity,” “calm,” “vigilance,” and a “patriotic surge” to “meet security, economic, and social challenges,” General Tiani reaffirmed the CNSP’s commitment to “respect all international agreements entered into by Niger.”

“The ousted government showed its limitations”

To justify his violent seizure of power, General Tiani expressed his intention to fight against “embezzlement of public funds, impunity, corruption in all its forms, and nepotism.” According to the commander of the presidential guard, “the ousted government showed its limitations” in the face of these issues.

“Finally, the CNSP, through me, asks Niger’s partners and friends, in this crucial stage of our country’s life, to trust our Defence and Security Forces, the guarantors of national unity, territorial integrity, and our Nation’s supreme interests,” concluded General Abdourahamane Tiani.

Following the CNSP president’s address, a statement was read on RTN broadcasting, warning against “any foreign military intervention.” The junta speculated about a “belligerent, dangerous, and risky attitude,” referring to “certain former dignitaries holed up in embassies, in collaboration with the latter, are in a confrontational logic.”

This could result only in “the massacre of the Nigerien population and chaos.” The CNSP “warns the national and international opinion about the consequences that will result from any foreign military intervention,” the military cautioned.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Bazoum, still held captive by the coup-plotters in Niamey, has not formally resigned.