(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Niger military government reshuffles army command weeks after deadly mutiny | News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/13/niger-military-government-reshuffles-army-command-weeks-after-deadly-mutiny)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/13/niger-military-government-reshuffles-army-command-weeks-after-deadly-mutiny)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-13-at-10.49.49-1789285795.png?resize=1200%2C630)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-13-at-10.49.49-1789285795.png@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (niger-military-government-reshuffles-army-command-weeks-after-deadly-mutiny@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News   Niger military government reshuffles army command weeks after deadly mutiny New chief of staff appointed after failed mutiny tested military rulers’ grip on power.   Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share Niger military government reshuffles army command weeks after deadly mutiny on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyfamkl) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Niger%20military%20government%20reshuffles%20army%20command%20weeks%20after%20deadly%20mutiny&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyfamkl) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyfamkl) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/yfamkl)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Broadcaster speaks on TV.)   Niger's state TV announces that a new army chief has been appointed [RTN/AFP]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff , AFPand AP   Published On 13 Sep 2026 13 Sep 2026    Niger’s military government has named a new chief of the armed forces as it reshuffled its top military command following a failed mutiny late last month. A decree read on state television on Friday announced that General Mamane Sani Kiaou, previously the army’s chief of staff, would take over as head of the armed forces, replacing General Moussa Salaou Barmou. Recommended Stories list of 2 items list 1 of 2 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/6/niger-military-accuses-france-of-orchestrating-failed-mutiny-what-to-know) Niger military accuses France of orchestrating failed coup: What to know  list 2 of 2 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/5/france-denies-inciting-failed-niger-mutiny-calls-accusation-pure-fantasy) France denies Niger’s accusation it orchestrated failed military mutiny   end of list  Both men had held (https://www.aljazeera.com/where/niger/) senior posts since a July 2023 coup brought a group of army officers – led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani – to power. No reason was given for Barmou’s removal. General Abdourahmane Abou Zataka has been promoted to succeed Kiaou as army chief of staff, according to the same decree. Regional broadcaster RFI reported that General Ismael K Sidi Omar has also been named the new second-in-command of the general staff. Sidi Omar previously commanded Base 101, RFI reported, the airport base at the centre of the mutiny, and remained loyal to Tchiani throughout the crisis.      The mutiny that began on August 28 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/30/nigers-military-led-government-says-it-contained-mutiny-what-next) lasted almost 24 hours , drawing in fighting at the presidential palace, Niamey’s international airport and a nearby military base. Mostly young soldiers took fellow servicemen hostage and opened fire on several sensitive sites, according to Niger’s Ministry of Defence. Military government forces needed support from (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/31/niger-mutiny-puts-russias-expanding-role-in-the-sahel-to-the-test) Russia’s Africa Corps , a state-backed force that has replaced the mercenary group Wagner in several African countries, which stepped in with ground and air support. Dozens of mutineers were killed or arrested, along with three members of the presidential guard, though the government has not disclosed an overall death toll or said what charges detained soldiers might face. Advertisement    Analysts and diplomats told The Associated Press news agency that the mutineers appeared driven by anger over worsening attacks by armed groups and poor conditions within the military. Kiaou is a field commander who has led operations against armed groups in Niger’s western Tillaberi region and the southeastern Diffa region, and helped negotiate the withdrawal of French and United States troops after the coup. State media reported he recently completed a tour of the country’s main garrisons intended to restore unity among the ranks.      Tchiani’s government (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/26/coup-attempt-in-niger-heres-what-we-know-so-far) seized power in July 2023 from elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who remains in detention, arguing the civilian government had failed to contain armed groups and violence. Since then, Niger has (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/5/france-denies-inciting-failed-niger-mutiny-calls-accusation-pure-fantasy) cut military ties with France and the US and drawn closer to Russia, even as the security situation has continued to deteriorate. Niger has (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/5/france-denies-inciting-failed-niger-mutiny-calls-accusation-pure-fantasy) accused France of being behind last month’s mutiny, an allegation the French government dismissed as “pure fantasy”.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network