Niger has had its first democratic transfer of power after Mohamed Bazoum was sworn in as president.
The inauguration ceremony on Friday in the capital, Niamey, was attended by dozens of foreign dignitaries, including government representatives from 20 countries.
It comes just days after the government says it thwarted an attempted coup by parts of the military.
Security measures were at their highest level, with armoured vehicles and pick-up military cars loaded with machine guns deployed in the city centre, two days after the government said it had thwarted a coup attempt.
The West African nation is facing increasing attacks by jihadist groups and political tensions in the country since the election in February.
Niger is the world’s poorest nation, according to the UN’s development rankings for 189 countries. It has seen four military coups, most recently in 2010.
The 61-year-old Bazoum won a contested presidential runoff vote in February to succeed Mahamadou Issoufou, who stepped down after completing his two five-year terms in office – a period characterised by growing insecurity and attacks by armed groups along the country’s border with Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
Bazoum, whose victory was confirmed by the Constitutional Court on March 21, began his speech by paying tribute to the first political steps of his Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) ruling party more than 30 years ago, before turning his attention to the need to invest in education, tackle corruption and improve security.
