General Tiani calls for offensive justice to defend Niger sovereignty

Niger's transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tiani, presided over the 2026-2027 judicial opening ceremony in Niamey, calling for a proactive and “offensive” judiciary to defend national interests. The event, held at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Center, was attended by Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, members of the CNSP, and delegations from Burkina Faso and Mali, representing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Confederation.

Tiani outlined three strategic pillars for the judiciary: domestic, economic, and international. Domestically, he emphasized using the Charter of Refoundation to protect national unity and independence, noting that attacks on sovereignty should be treated as high treason. Economically, he demanded that the justice system play a central role in managing natural resource exploitation, protecting state contracts, and ensuring transparency in public finances.

On the international front, Tiani urged legal practitioners to employ “legal engineering” to defend the state in international disputes and ensure the recovery of financial reparations. He called for the judiciary to combat terrorism and transnational crime while upholding the principle of state sovereignty as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter.