Ali Saibou

Who was Ali Saibou?

Ali Saibou was the third President of Niger from 1987 to 1993 succeeding the deceased Seyni Kountché.

A member of the Djerma people, he was born in Dingajibanda, a village in the Ouallam arrondissement. Although from Kountché's home village, Saibou is not a cousin. He became interested in a military career early on, and attended the Saint-Louis preparatory school in Senegal from 1954, then joined the First Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment. He saw action in Cameroon in 1960, and was wounded there.

Upon Niger's independence in 1960, Saibou was transferred to the new Niger Army as a sergeant. He attended officers' school, and in 1969 was put in command of a unit at N'Guigmi. After moving to a new unit in Agadez in 1973, he attained the rank of captain. Saibou threw in his lot with Kountché in the coup of April 1974, and brought his troops from Agadez to Niamey. As a reward he was promoted to major, appointed to the cabinet as minister of rural economy and the environment, and on 20 November 1974, made chief of staff.

However, Kountché was suspicious of Saibou. In June 1975, he dismissed Saibou from the cabinet and asked him to relinquish his command of the armed forces.