Niger’s junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, reshuffled the country’s high command on Friday evening, appointing Brigadier General Mamane Sani Kiaou as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces to secure his grip on power following a failed military uprising last month.
​The announcement was broadcast on state television station Télé Sahel by channel director Abari Amitti, who read the presidential decree signed on September 11, 2026:
​”By a decree signed on September 11, 2026, General Abdourahamane Tiani has appointed Brigadier General Mamane Sani Kiaou as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.”
​Kiaou, a veteran field commander previously serving as army chief, replaces General Moussa Salaou Barmou, whose abrupt dismissal was not formally explained by the junta.
To fill the void left by Kiaou’s promotion, General Tiani appointed Brigadier General Abdourahmane Abou Zataka as the new Chief of Staff of the Army.
The high-level overhaul comes roughly two weeks after an August 26 mutiny by disgruntled soldiers targeting critical government and military installations across the capital, Niamey.
The rebel troops seized positions at Air Base 101 adjacent to Diori Hamani International Airport before being suppressed in fierce downtown exchanges by loyalist units supported by Russian security personnel.
State broadcasters previously linked former colonial power France to the August uprising, allegations Paris denies, as Tiani deepens security ties with Moscow.
​The appointments highlight General Tiani’s attempt to restore cohesion within the armed forces while navigating persistent jihadist violence and internal military discontent.
