Omar Tiani

Omar Abdourahamane Tiani (also spelled Tchiani; born 1960s) is a Nigerien military officer and politician who has served as the 11th president of Niger since 2025. The chief of the Nigerien presidential guard since 2011, he overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023, becoming the leader of a junta. Tiani was inaugurated as president of Niger two years later.

Born in Toukounous to a Hausa family, Tiani received military training from the National School of Active Officers in Thiès, Senegal. He led Nigerien military forces in Agadez, Diffa and Zinder regions to combat drug trafficking. He later served in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and DR Congo. In 2011, Tiani was assigned the command of the Nigerien presidential guard and became a close ally of President Mahamadou Issoufou; however, relations soured after Tiani was accused of conspiring against Issoufou and unsuccessfully attempted a coup in 2021. Issoufou's successor Mohamed Bazoum retained Tiani in his position. In early 2023, Tiani gained knowledge of Bazoum's attempt to dismiss him as head of the presidential guard. This led to Tiani overthrowing Bazoum in the July 2023 coup.

Tiani subsequently became de facto ruler of Niger and declared himself president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. He oversaw a diplomatic standoff with ECOWAS stemming from the coup and consequently withdrew from ECOWAS. He formed the Alliance of Sahel States along with Burkina Faso and Mali in July 2024. Tiani has also aligned Niger with Russia, receiving help from Wagner Group forces to fight an insurgency in western Niger. In January 2025, Tiani led Niger to become the first African country and fifth worldwide to eradicate onchocerciasis. He inaugurated himself as the president of Niger in March 2025.

Identified as a Hausa nationalist, Tiani has retained popularity domestically as an anti-imperialist, pan-Africanist and a combatant to French influence in Africa. His rule has nevertheless been regarded as authoritarian and dictatorial.

Early life

Omar Abdourahamane Tiani's birth year is uncertain, with 1960, 1961 or 1964 cited by sources. Born into a Hausa family, he hails from Toukounous in the Tillabéri Region, a main recruitment area for the Nigerien army in the west of the country.

Tiani completed his secondary education in the capital Niamey, graduating with a Baccalauréat in 1984. He then joined the army and studied at the National School of Active Officers in Thiès, Senegal in the same year.

Military career

Before becoming Commander of the Presidential guard, he led forces in Zinder, Agadez, and Diffa regions where he combated drug trafficking. In 1989, he was the first officer to make it to the site of the UTA Flight 772 crash in the Ténéré desert, for which he was decorated. He also served in UN peacekeeping missions in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also served in the Multinational Joint Task Force set up by Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram.

In 2011, Tiani assumed command of the Presidential Guard and was a close ally of then-President Mahamadou Issoufou, who promoted him to general in 2018. In 2015, Tiani was accused of involvement in a coup plot against Issoufou but denied the charges in court. He was otherwise regarded as keeping his views to himself during that time.

In 2021, Tiani led the unit that thwarted an attempted coup; at the time a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace two days before Issoufou stepped down to make way for his democratically elected successor, Mohamed Bazoum, who retained Tiani in his post.

Seizure of power

On 26 July 2023, Tiani ordered presidential guards to detain Bazoum at his presidential residence in Niamey. Bazoum was planning to relieve Tiani from his position. Sources close to Bazoum said that he had decided on Tiani's dismissal at a cabinet meeting on 24 July as their relations had reportedly become strained.

On 28 July, Tiani revealed himself as the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which took power on 26 July, in an address on state television. He said the coup was undertaken to avoid "the gradual and inevitable demise" of the country and said that Bazoum had tried to hide "the harsh reality" of the country, which he called "a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration". He also criticized the government's security strategy for its purported ineffectiveness.

ECOWAS relations

ECOWAS responded to the coup by imposing the strictest travel and economic sanctions the bloc ever imposed on a member state, demanding the reinstatement of Bazoum. As blackouts and supply disruptions roiled Niger, Tiani criticized the sanctions as illegal and inhumane. In a meeting with an ECOWAS delegation, Tiani proposed a three-year window for a transition to civilian rule, which ECOWAS rejected in favor of an immediate transfer of power. ECOWAS lifted the sanctions for humanitarian reasons after Niger had departed the organization.

Leadership

Under Tiani's leadership, Niger established the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso and Mali in July 2024, and left ECOWAS with them in 2024. US and EU troops were withdrawn from the country. The country also aligned itself closer to Russia and mercenary troops from the Wagner Group were sent to help Niger combat the Jihadist insurgents.

Analysts identified three main objectives of Tiani's internal policy: modernizing the army, promoting economic growth (including a lessened dependence on uranium through investments in agriculture, infrastructure and renewable energy), and implementing an anti-corruption agenda.

In December 2024, Tiani accused France and Nigeria of colluding with rebel groups to destabilize the Nigerien government, as well as accusing Nigeria of sabotaging the oil pipeline to Benin. Nigeria denied these allegations.

In January 2025, according to the World Health Organization, Niger became the first African country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicate onchocerciasis.

Tiani was formally sworn in as president on 26 March 2025, for a five year term, and promoted to the rank of general.

Economy

Like before the coup d'état, the economic system is based upon planning but accords an important role to private enterprise. The three main policy objectives are the maintenance of national unity, the elevation of the living standards of the population, and the attainment of economic independence. The private sector of the economy consists partly of a multitude of small enterprises and partly of enterprises belonging to large French or international companies. [citation needed]

In October 2023, sanctions and the suspension of international aid from ECOWAS left Niger as one of the poorest countries in the world. Niger's governing junta announced at the start of the month a 40% cut in the 2023 budget due to "heavy sanctions imposed by international and regional organizations ... exposing the country to a major drop in external and internal revenue." Nigeria, a supplier of 71% of Niger's electricity prior to the coup, contributed to Niamey's crisis by halting its services. By October 2023, Niger's Nigelec state-owned utility company could only meet between a quarter and half of demand across the country.

In February 2024, a new regulatory law was enacted to secure unrestricted access to state resources. Military spending is no longer subject to public procurement regulations. This has paved the way for faster processing of arms purchases, the use of mercenaries, and the alleged personal enrichment of the new rulers[who?].

In June 2024, the military junta revoked the operating licence of French nuclear fuel producer Orano at one of the world's biggest uranium mines. Days later, it announced that the Imouraren mine had returned "to the state's public domain".

His prime minister and finance minister, Ali Lamine Zeine was affiliated with the MNSD-Nassara, a party which advocates for liberal economic policies.

Personal life

Tiani is married and has five children.

Awards and honors

Domestic

Source:

• Grand Officer of the National Order of Niger[fr] (2021)
• Commander of the National Order of Niger (2018)
• Officer of the National Order of Niger (2010)
• Knight of the National Order of Niger (2004)
• Officer of the Merit of Niger[ru] (2001)

Foreign

• Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali (Mali, 2025)