The Niger ruling said there will be a five-year transition to constitutional rules that begin on Wednesday, in an announcement at the signing ceremony of the new Transition Charter.
Military junta leader Abdulahamane Tiani was sworn in as the country’s transitional president on Wednesday.
A senior government official said Tiani will lead the country beyond the five-year “flexible” transition to constitutional rule.
The move effectively rejected attempts by local blocs to speed up a return to democracy.
The powers of the Sahel nation staged a coup in 2023, banishing President Mohamed Bazoom.
Global Push Grows Former Niger President Mohamed Bazoom for Free
New time frame
The five-year “flexible” transition period began on Wednesday, according to government secretary-general Mahamane Roofye. He was speaking at a ceremony in Niamey, the capital, where the new transition charter recommended at a recent national conference was approved.
Tiani, an Army veteran, was also promoted to the country’s highest ranked army general, solidifying his grip on power.
The new president would have been in power for about seven years by the end of the 2030 transition period. It followed a long-term pattern of power in a military-led country in Africa, including Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
Like the military rulers of Mali and Burkina Faso, Nigerian authorities also drove out French and other European troops and left West African economic group Ecowas.
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Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso withdraw from French
The three Sahelien provinces are turning to Russia for support to combat extremist groups.
The time slot released Wednesday coincided with recommendations made by the committee following national debate in February.
Niger’s Junta initially proposed a three-year transition period shortly after the coup, which was rejected by ECOWAS, calling it a provocation and threatened to intervene in the use of force.
Rebellion
Meanwhile, in the Tertiary region of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, West African jihadist revolts linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic state, committed further attacks, including last week.
The Sahel region revolt began when Islamic extremists took over territory in northern Mali after the Taleg rebellion in 2012.
Since then, it has spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, and more recently north of West African coastal countries such as Togo and Ghana.
(with newswire)
