Niger Junta Reshuffles Armed Forces Command Two Weeks After Base 101 Mutiny

Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani signed a decree read on Nigerien state television late on September 11, 2026 replacing Maj. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou — armed forces chief of staff since the July 2023 coup and a member of the ruling junta (CNSP) — with Brig. Gen. Mamane Sani Kiaou, a career officer with field command experience in western and southeastern Niger. Gen. Abdourahmane Abou Zataka was promoted to army chief of staff and Gen. Ismael K. Sidi Omar named second-in-command of the general staff. No official reason was given for the shake-up, which follows the nearly 24-hour mutiny at Niamey's Base 101 on August 28-29 that Russia's Africa Corps helped loyalist forces put down; analysts and diplomats have linked the unrest to soldiers' anger over worsening JNIM/ISSP attacks and poor conditions in the ranks. Barmou's removal marks the most senior personnel change in the armed forces since the mutiny.