Abdourahamane Tchiani

Abdourahamane Tchiani (; also known as Omar Tchiani; born 1960 or 1961) is a Nigerien military officer who is the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, the military junta of Niger. He had served as the chief of the Nigerien presidential guard (2011–2023). He played a key role in the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état by detaining former president Mohamed Bazoum. On 28 July 2023, he announced himself as the leader of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland; the junta that took power two days prior. His coup has triggered the 2023 Nigerien crisis. Early life Abdourahamane Tchiani is from the Tillabéri Region, a main recruitment area for the Nigerien army in the west of the country. He is a member of the Hausa people. He joined the army in 1984 and studied at the National School of Active Officers in Thiès, Senegal. Military career Before becoming commander of the presidential guard, he led forces in Zinder, Agadez, and Diffa regions where he combated drug trafficking. In 1989, he was the first officer to make it to the site of the UTA Flight 772 crash in the Ténéré desert, for which he was decorated. He also served in UN peacekeeping missions in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also served in the Multinational Joint Task Force set up by Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram. In 2011, Tchiani assumed command of the presidential guards and was a close ally of then-President Mahamadou Issoufou, who promoted him to general in 2018. In 2015, Tchiani was accused of involvement in a coup plot against Issoufou, but denied the charges in court. He was otherwise seen as keeping his views to himself during that time.