Turmoil in the Sahel and the risks it poses beyond Africa
Last week’s military takeover in Niger comes amid growing political instability in the region, making it ripe for a surge in terrorist activity and organised crime.
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Demonstrators, some with Russian flags, gathering in support of the putschist soldiers in Niamey, Niger, on July 30, 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
After days without a leader, the military junta which seized power in Niger last week by effectively kidnapping President Mohamed Bazoum now has a face.
The man who claims to be the ruler of the landlocked African country with a population of 25 million and a territory double that of France, its old colonial power, is General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who has headed Niger’s presidential guard since 2015.
