Niger’s junta chief General Abdourahamane Tiani has appointed a new chief of staff of the armed forces, state television reported Friday, weeks after a thwarted army mutiny shook his grip on power.
Brigadier General Mamane Sani Kiaou, a former army chief of staff, replaces General Moussa Salaou Barmou in the top military post.
“By a decree signed on September 11, 2026, General Abdourahamane Tiani has appointed Brigadier General Mamane Sani Kiaou as chief of staff of the armed forces,” state television reported, quoting an official statement.
The statement did not give a reason for Barmou’s removal.
Tiani also appointed General Abdourahmane Abou Zataka to replace Kiaou as army chief of staff, according to the statement.
The changes come after an attempted mutiny last month in which disgruntled soldiers attacked several sensitive sites in the capital, Niamey, before taking refuge at a key military base near the airport.
Supporters of the junta, aided by Russian mercenaries, eventually put down the uprising after intense fighting in the capital.
Kiaou is regarded by associates as a seasoned field commander. He has led military operations against jihadist groups in western Niger’s Tillaberi region and the southeastern Diffa area.
State media reported that he recently completed a tour of key military garrisons across the country aimed at “restoring cohesion among the troops.”
Kiaou also played a role in negotiations that led to the withdrawal of French and US forces from Niger following the July 2023 coup.
Tiani has increasingly aligned Niger with Russia while distancing the country from its former Western partners, particularly France, the former colonial power.
Niger has been under military rule since Tiani seized power in July 2023, overthrowing elected president Mohamed Bazoum, who has remained detained since the coup.
State television previously accused France of being behind last month’s attempted uprising, without providing evidence.
AFP
