Youssoufa Maïga

Youssoufa Mamadou Maïga (* 1943 in Téra ) is a Nigerien general , politician and diplomat .

Life

Youssoufa Maïga was born in the Laatabakyé village belonging to Téra. He attended the Catholic Mission School in Niamey , the Collège de Lasalle in Ouagadougou , the Lycée National de Niamey and the Lycée Maréchal Ney in Saarbrücken . From 1964 he worked for the gendarmerie, which was organized as part of the Nigerien armed forces . There he soon found employment in higher positions, such as group commander in Agadez , Zinder , Tahoua and Maradi and from 1977 as deputy corps chief.

Maïga moved to civil administration in 1980 and became prefect of the Tahoua department . Niger was ruled during this time by the Supreme Military Council under Seyni Kountché . Many political offices were occupied by the military. In 1981 Youssoufa Maïga became Niger's Minister of Education. He lost this post in 1982 when the regime tried to entrust more civilians to high political positions. From 1982 to 1984 he headed the country's gendarmerie as corps chief.

Youssoufa Maïga then worked in the diplomatic service for several years. He was a military attaché at the Nigerian Embassy in the United States from 1984 to 1987 . The ambassador at this time was Joseph Diatta . From 1987 to 1992 Maïga was Niger's ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany . He was also accredited as ambassador to Denmark , Finland , Norway and Sweden and to the Holy See .

In the free presidential elections in Niger in 1993 after the end of military rule, Mahamane Ousmane emerged as the winner. Maïga, who was initially considered a close confidante of President Ousmane, was appointed Inspector General of the Nigerien Armed Forces in the same year. He then worked from 1994 as the President's personal chief of staff . In 1995 he took over the leadership of the gendarmerie again as high commander.

Changed majorities in the National Assembly led to a mutual blockade policy with President Ousmane. The political leadership was then deposed in 1996 in a military coup. From January to December 1996, a military junta , the Council of National Welfare, led by Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, took power in the state. Youssoufa Maïga was number 2 of the junta as its deputy chairman. He kept his post as commander in chief of the gendarmerie and was also promoted to brigadier general. Baré Maïnassara's decision not to give up power again, but to run in the presidential elections on July 7th and 8th, 1996 , led to an estrangement from Maïga.

Under President Baré Maïnassara, Maïga was sent to Algeria in 1997 as Nigeria's ambassador . He stayed that way even after Baré Maïnassara's violent death in 1999 until 2002, when he initially retired. The government of President Mahamadou Issoufou appointed Youssoufa Maïga as governor of the Tillabéri region in 2011 . In 2013 Maïga became president of the state commission for the control and collection of illicit weapons instead.

Honors

• Grand Officer of the National Order of Niger
• Commander of the Legion of Honor
• Commander of the National Order of Guinea

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Chaïbou Maman: Répertoire biographique des personnalités de la classe politique et des leaders d'opinion du Niger de 1945 à nos jours . Volume II. Démocratie 2000, Niamey 2003, p. 376-378 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Abdourahmane Idrissa, Samuel Decalo: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 4th edition. Scarecrow, Plymouth 2012, ISBN 978-0-8108-6094-0 , pp. 311 .
3. ^ Diplomatic Representation for Niger. US Department of State , January 18, 2012, accessed June 25, 2017 . 
4. ^ Salou Gobi: Le destin nigérien. Le douloureux enfantement de Vème République . Nouvelle imprimerie du Niger, Niamey 2003, p. 79 .
5. ↑ Niger: nomination de gouverneurs des régions. FOCAC, May 12, 2011, accessed June 25, 2017 (French). 
6. ↑ Habibou Abdou: Nomination of the nouveaux governors de régions et des préfets de départements: le gouvernement viole à nouveau la loi sur le quota. In: aNiamey.com. September 11, 2013, accessed June 25, 2017 (French).