Niger’s coup leaders have appointed Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a former finance minister, as the new leader of the nation.
Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the military junta, made the declaration in a statement that was read aloud on national television on Monday night.
Under former president Mamadou Tandja, Zeine served as cabinet director in 2001 and as finance minister in 2002.
Up until the coup d’état that toppled Tandja in 2010 he was the finance minister.
Assoumane was also named by Abdramane as the new leader of the presidential guard in Niger, according to FRANCE24.
SaharaReporters previously reported that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had scheduled a further meeting to discuss the Niger Republic crisis after the one-week deadline for the restoration of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum had passed on Sunday.
In anticipation of a potential military invasion by the ECOWAS, the military leaders in the Niger Republic reportedly sent reinforcements to Naimey, the capital.
The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, the junta’s official name, is still in charge of Niger in an unofficial capacity while President Bazoum is still being held hostage.
Due to the threat of military intervention, the country’s military leaders have closed the airspace, causing tension and confusion throughout Northern Nigeria, particularly in the states that share borders with Niger.
