General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (9 May 1949 – 9 April 1999) was a Nigerien military officer and diplomat who ruled

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

from 1996 until his assassination. He seized and lost power in military coups. Baré Maïnassara, a Maouri, a subgroup of Niger's Hausa ethnic majority, was born in Dogondoutchi in 1949 and pursued a military career. Maïnassara was named Army Chief of Staff in March 1995, under a constitution that had moved Niger from prolonged military rule in 1991. He seized power on January 27, 1996, and ruled Niger until his assassination on April 9, 1999, during the Nigerien coup d'état."President Mainassara: A profile"
BBC News, 9 April 1999.

Seizure of power

Parliamentary elections in January 1995 resulted in

cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a Romance (love), romantic or Sexual intercourse, sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. ...

between President Mahamane Ousmane and a parliament controlled by his opponents, led by Prime Minister Hama Amadou.Jibrin Ibrahim and Abdoulayi Niandou Souley
"The rise to power of an opposition party: the MNSD in Niger Republic"
Unisa Press, Politeia, Vol. 15, No. 3, 1996. Rivalry between Ousmane and Amadou effectively paralyzed the government, and Maïnassara seized power on 27 January 1996, pointing to the difficult political situation as justification.Kaye Whiteman
"Obituary: Ibrahim Bare Mainassara"
''The Independent'' (London), 12 April 1999.

Rule

Under Maïnassara's rule, a new constitution was approved by referendum in May 1996, and a presidential election was held on 7–8 July 1996. Maïnassara took about 52% of the vote, in an election widely viewed as fraudulent. On the second day of polling, he had the electoral commission dissolved and replaced it with another electoral commission; on the same day, he also had the four opposition candidates placed under house arrest, which lasted for two weeks."Niger: A major step backwards"
, Amnesty International, 16 October 1996. Maïnassara was sworn in on 7 August. He imposed conservative Islamist laws that included the banning of short skirts and a crackdown on the sale of contraceptives, while also introducing economic reforms and signing an agreement with the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

. However, the country's economic problems continued and its external debt rose to $1.4 billion. This led to strikes by teachers and civil servants over pay arrears and job losses and a near-mutiny by the army in February 1998 over unpaid salaries. The National Union of Independents for Democratic Renewal (UNIRD) was established in 1996 to support Maïnassara in that year's elections, but subsequently, the Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a was established as the ruling party. With the constitution barring presidents from leading parties, Hamid Algabid became the leader of the RDP-Jama'a in August 1997. Local elections were held in February 1999, and in early April the Supreme Court released results which showed the opposition winning more seats than Maïnassara's supporters; the Court also canceled the results in many areas and ordered elections there to be held again."Rapport de la Mission D'Oberservation des Elections Presidentelles et Legislatives des 17 Octobre et 24 Novembre 1999"
democratie.francophonie.org . The opposition called for protests against the cancellation of results on 8 April.

Death

On 9 April 1999, Maïnassara was ambushed and shot to death by soldiers, reportedly members of the Presidential Guard, at the airport in the capital city of

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

as he was going to board a helicopter. The circumstances of the killing were not clear; rumors suggested that Maïnassara was attempting to flee the country. Initially his death was officially described as an "unfortunate accident", but this claim was widely considered implausible."Niger: The people of Niger have the right to truth and justice"
, Amnesty International, 6 April 2000."New military leader for Niger"
BBC News, 12 April 1999."Military rule ends in Niger"
BBC News, 22 December 1999. Coup leader

Daouda Malam Wanké Daouda Malam Wanké (May 6, 1946 – September 15, 2004) was a military and political leader in Niger. He was a member of the Hausa ethnic group. Wanké's year of birth is disputed. Many sources claim it is 1954 while others suggest 1946. He h ...

succeeded him as head of state and initiated a political transition that ended with elections late in the year. The constitution adopted in a July 1999 referendum provides for an

amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

for participants in both the 1996 and 1999 coups. An investigation into Maïnassara's death had begun in June 1999, but following the amnesty, it ended in September."Niger: Conditions of the amnesty granted to the perpetrators of the coups d'état of 27 January 1996 and of 9 April 1999; possibility that some of the guilty, in particular the former director of national security and the head of the special unit, were imprisoned following the coup d'état of 9 April 1999, then released without conditions after the amnesty"
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada (UNHCR.org), 29 October 1999. The RDP-Jama'a has demanded an international inquiry into his death in the years since.
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada (UNHCR.org), 19 September 2002. His widow, former first lady Clémence Aïssa Baré, and their children have campaigned for the prosecution of his killers in Niger and before the ECOWAS Court of Justice for more than 20 years.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mainassara, Ibrahim Bare 1949 births 1999 deaths Presidents of Niger Assassinated Nigerien politicians Hausa people Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup People murdered in Niger Deaths by firearm in Niger Rally for Democracy and Progress (Niger) politicians Nigerien military personnel Ambassadors of Niger to Algeria Ambassadors of Niger to France People from Dosso Region African politicians assassinated in the 1990s Assassinated presidents in Africa 20th-century Nigerien politicians National presidents assassinated in the 20th century 20th-century presidents in Africa Politicians assassinated in 1999