General Abdourahmane Tchiani, also known by the alias Omar Tchiani, has been named the leader of the junta that took power in Niger on Wednesday, ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Gen Tchiani, 62, has been at the helm of the presidential guard since 2011 and was promoted to the rank of general in 2018 by the ousted president’s predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou.
He was linked to a 2015 coup attempt against Mr. Issoufou. A subsequent court case in 2018 cleared him of involvement.
