2 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
General Abdou Sidikou Issa has been appointed the country’s new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMA) within the framework, following in the footsteps of other countries such as Burkina Faso, which have also made changes in their military leadership, of a remodeling conceived to more precisely combat jihadist activity.
The official communiqué of his appointment, collected by ActuNiger, precisely highlights General Issa’s experience in his fight against the terrorist organization Boko Haram in Lake Chad during his previous tenure as Deputy Chief of 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 in hosting a deployment of some 2,000 French soldiers, while those in Mali and Burkina Faso have left the country.
It should be remembered that the coup leader of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, this weekend appointed Colonel Célestin Simporé as the new head of the Army of the African country in a gesture of gratitude, according to experts consulted by Radio France Internationale (RFI) by the support he gave him during his September coup.
The remodeling was also carried out within the framework of the fight against jihadism in the region.
