General Abdou Sidikou Issa has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMA) of the country, following in the footsteps of other countries such as Burkina Faso, which have also made changes in their military leadership, in a reshuffle designed to more precisely combat jihadist activity.
The official communiqué of his appointment, reported by ActuNiger, highlights precisely the experience of General Issa in his fight against the terrorist organization Boko Haram in Lake Chad during his previous mandate as deputy chief of the General Staff.
General Issa replaces Salifou Mody at a time when France is reorganizing its military presence in the Sahel, where Niger is an essential ally as host of a deployment of some 2,000 French military personnel, while those present in Mali and Burkina Faso have left the country.
It should be recalled that Burkina Faso’s coup leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, appointed this weekend Colonel Célestin Simporé as the new head of the African country’s army in a gesture of gratitude, according to experts consulted by Radio France Internationale (RFI) for the support he gave him during his September coup.
The reshuffle was also carried out as part of the fight against jihadism in the region.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
