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President Mahamadou Issoufou Sworn in for Second and Last Term

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Monday, April 4th, 2016
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Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou has been sworn into office for the second and last five-year term.

The leader was sworn in by the country’s Constitutional Court at a ceremony held in the capital, Niamey, late on Saturday.

Eight Heads of State, including the Senegalese leader, Macky Sall and 44 Speakers of parliament from across Africa attended the ceremony.

Some 55 country representatives from Africa witnessed the wearing-in.

Speaking shortly after his inauguration, President Issoufou reinstated his Prime Minister and reiterated his call for national unity “in the supreme interest of all of us”.

The opposition boycotted the event. They refuse to reconcile with the ruling party in spite a bail granted to one of their leader, Hama Amadou.

The opposition also accuses the ruling party of having rigged the polls.

On March 20,2016, the Constitutional Court declared Mr Issoufou winner of the run off with 92.51 per cent of valid votes cast against 7.49 per cent for Hama Amadou, who is undergoing medical treatment in France. Niger is threatened by jihadist groups in the Sahel region to the north and west, and is also the target of attacks by Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists to the southeast.

Evidence of the threat was evident on Friday when six soldiers were killed in an attack in the southeast, blamed on Boko Haram.

“Terrorism is an absolute evil,” he said, stressing that “as long as terrorism is not eradicated in northern Mali and as long as Libya is not stabilised, we will not be able to sleep in peace.”

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