General Abdourahmane Tchiani who declared himself as the new leader of Niger after a dramatic coup has gone ahead to appoint new governors for the 8 regions of the country despite ECOWAS threats and several countries rejection of military rule in the country.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert, posted a video in which the leader disclosed this on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.
The new governors and the regions they are to take charge of are Agadez – Brigade General Ibro Boulama; Dosso – Brigadier General Iro Oumarou; Diffa – Brigadier General Ibrahim Bagadoma; Niamey – Brigadier General Abdou Assouman Harouna; Tahoua – Major Colonel Oumarou Tawayé; Maradi – Inspector General of Police Issoufou Mamane; Tillabery – Lieutenant Colonel Maïna Boukar; Zinder – Colonel EF Labo Issoufou.
The junta seized power last week and ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
One of the coup leaders, Army Colonel Amadou Abdramane, on state television, said that the authorisation was signed by Niger Foreign Affairs Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, acting as prime minister, Reuters reports.
Massoudou could not be reached for comment.
World leaders including France have condemned the coup and urged that Bazoum should be reinstated but they have not announced any intention to intervene militarily. Paris did not immediately respond to requests for comment either, according to Reuters.
The military junta, which has confined Bazoum to the presidential palace since Wednesday, has previously warned against foreign attempts to extract him, saying it would result in bloodshed and chaos.
The coup in Niger followed military takeovers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso over the last two years, all of which have come amid a wave of anti-French sentiments.
France has had troops in the region for a decade helping to fight an Islamist insurgency, but some locals say they want the former colonial ruler to stop intervening in their affairs.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Guinea has warned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) chaired by Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, against any planned sanction and military intervention against the military regime in the Republic of Niger.
Guinea issued the warning in a statement while expressing its solidarity with the Niger Republic, saying it would not participate in measures against Niger and that sanctions against the military regime in Niger including military intervention are an option that cannot be a solution to the current problem but would lead to a human disaster whose consequences could go beyond the borders of Niger.
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