Niger: General Tiani’s fear at the palace after the August mutiny

The trap of power in Niamey

Does he miss the days when he was merely the head of the presidential guard, operating quietly and without trouble? Today in Niamey, the atmosphere inside the presidential palace has become suffocating. A little over three years after the July 2023 coup, General Abdourahamane Tiani is confronting a harsh reality: carrying out a coup was a monumental mistake, and his life is now on the line.

Far from the grand speeches about national sovereignty, the head of the military junta is now trapped by his own army.

Living in fear since the August uprising

The night of August 28 to 29, 2026 changed everything for General Tiani. That evening, rebellious soldiers from several garrisons attacked the air base and came dangerously close to the presidential palace. Barely saved by the swift intervention of Russian Africa Corps mercenaries, the president has since lived in constant fear of being assassinated.

His fear for his life is no longer a secret. Tiani rarely goes out, his trips are cancelled, and he lives holed up in a bunker, protected by foreign guards and a handful of soldiers he still trusts.

The costly mistake of dismissing General Barmou

In an attempt to regain control, Tiani took a highly risky decision in September 2026: he dismissed General Moussa Salaou Barmou, the chief of defence staff and a key figure in the 2023 coup. Barmou was subsequently placed under house arrest.

But the move backfired. General Barmou is widely liked and respected by elite troops. His dismissal was seen as a betrayal within the barracks. According to multiple sources, officers sent real ultimatums to the leadership: they demand an end to arrests in the army and threaten a massive uprising if the president continues his witch hunt.

A leader confined and threatened by his own soldiers

A former security specialist, Tiani knows exactly how a coup works. He knows that the greatest danger to him no longer comes from terrorist groups at the borders, but from his own soldiers.

That is the irony of the situation: toppling a civilian president in 2023 was easy, but running the country with the constant fear of being shot by his own army has become hell. Today, General Tiani is no longer really trying to govern Niger: he is mainly trying to survive.

By Claire Mvondo — Security and State Policy Expert