CARA ANNA AND CARLEY PETESCH
Nearly two weeks have passed since the coup in Niger, and the two men making competing claims to power have gone quiet in recent days. One is the ousted president, who said last week he’s being held hostage and has been publicly silent since then.
The other is the military junta leader who asserts he acted out of concern for the country’s security and has encouraged Nigeriens to defend it from any foreign intervention.
Here’s a look at President Mohamed Bazoum and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as Niger’s junta defies a threat by the West African regional bloc to step in and use force if necessary:
PRESIDENT MOHAMED BAZOUM
As neighbors in West Africa experienced multiple coups and kicked out the military forces of former colonizer France in recent months, Niger’s president came to be seen as a crucial partner of the West in the fight
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