On July 26, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, the commander of Niger’s presidential guard, launched an “anti-republican demonstration” against Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Hours later, Air Force Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane announced Bazoum’s ouster on Niger’s state television channel and declared the formation of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) military junta. While Bazoum refused to resign from office and defended his legitimacy on Twitter, CNSP spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane declared on July 28 that Tchiani was the new leader of Niger.
Niger’s coup d’état, which was its first since President Mamadou Tandja was ousted in February 2010, followed similar events in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Chad and underscored the collapse of democracy in the Sahel region. Even though the Niger coup could have palpable negative implications for West Africa’s security, international reactions to Tchiani’s seizure of power varied considerably.