Niger junta names civilian prime minister to lead country until elections

Niger junta names civilian premier until elections

NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s military junta is naming a civilian prime minister to lead the West African nation’s transitional government until elections are held.

A statement broadcast on state television late Tuesday says coup chief Maj. Salou Djibou signed a decree appointing Mahamadou Dandah to the post.

Dandah served as Minister of Information for a previous junta, which seized power in a 1999 coup, and has worked in the private sector in the decade since.