Niger Military Junta Appoints New Prime Minister
Niger Junta Leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani has named a former finance minister as the new prime minister following the 26 July coup.
Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine A Replaces Mahamadou Ouhoumoudou, who was in Europe during the coup.
Mr Zeine, reported to be in his 50s, served as cabinet director and Finance Minister from 2001 until the overthrow of the late former president Mamadou Tandja by the army in 2010.
His appointment was announced in a statement read on state-owned television channel Télé Sahel on Monday night by a junta spokesperson.
Zeine has worked for the African development bank in chad, ivory coast and Gabon in recent years, according to the privately-owned Actuniger news website.
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The junta on Monday also appointed brigadier general Amadou didilli as the head of the country’s High Authority for Peace Consolidation (HACP) and brigadier general Abou Tague Mahamadou as the inspector general of the army and the national gendarmerie.
It named colonel Ibro Amadou Bachirou, the private chief of staff of the Junta leader and lieutenant colonel Habibou Assoumane as the commander of the presidential guard.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to hold another emergency summit on Thursday in Nigeria to address the political crisis in Niger after the military leaders ignored its ultimatum to cede power.
On Monday, the US State Department said it made direct contact with the coup leaders and had stressed the need to reinstate Bazoum and for Niger to revert to its “constitutional order.”
Bazoum was detained by members of the Presidential Guard on July 26, who later that evening announced the government takeover.
