Niger’s junta leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, was sworn in on Wednesday as president for a five-year transitional period under a new charter that replaces the country's constitution.

This move marks a rejection of ECOWAS' efforts to expedite the return to the former rule following the 2023 coup. The flexible five-year transition, approved after a national conference, officially began on Wednesday, as stated by government secretary general Mahamane Roufai during a ceremony in Niamey.

Tiani, an army veteran, was also promoted to the highest military rank of army general, solidifying his power since the June 2023 coup that ousted the elected government.

Initially, Niger’s junta proposed a three-year transition period after the coup, but it was rejected by ECOWAS, which deemed it a provocation and threatened military intervention.

By the end of the transition in 2030, the new president will have been in power for nearly seven years, following a pattern seen in other junta-led African countries like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

On January 29, the junta-led nations of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso withdrew from ECOWAS, as confirmed by the organization.

This marked the conclusion of a year-long process in which ECOWAS tried to prevent the unprecedented departure.

The withdrawal, initially announced a year ago, "has become effective today," according to ECOWAS in a statement. However, the bloc claimed its commitment to keeping the "doors open", urging member states to continue granting the three countries the privileges of membership, including "free movement within the region with an ECOWAS passport."

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger confirmed as "irreversible" their decision to leave the group a year ago, accusing it of being submissive to ex-colonizer France.