Albadé Abouba

Abouba is a Bororo (Wodaabe) Fulani[1] from the area of Kao in Tchin-Tabaraden District, which is part of Tahoua Department. He served for a time as sub-prefect of Arlit District,[2] and he was appointed as Minister of the Interior and Decentralization in the government named on 8 November 2002.[3] In order to maintain the balance of party and regional representation in the government, Abouba was dismissed in December 2004 so that the government would not include three MNSD ministers from Tahoua Department. He was instead appointed as Adviser to the Presidency, while holding the rank of Minister.[2]

Abouba was again appointed to the government as Minister of the Interior and Decentralization on 1 March 2007,[2][4] and in the government of Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou, named on June 9, 2007, he was promoted to the position of Minister of State for the Interior, Public Security, and Decentralization.[4]

When Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou resigned on 23 September 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the October 2009 parliamentary election, President Mamadou Tandja appointed Abouba to succeed Oumarou in an acting capacity.[5] He was replaced by Ali Badjo Gamatié on 2 October 2009.[6]

Following fighting between the army and an unidentified group near the Malian border, in which seven soldiers and a civilian were said to have been killed, Abouba announced on 7 January 2010 that the group had been "neutralised", with 11 of them killed and a number of them captured.[7]

As Minister of State for the Interior and Secretary-General of the MNSD, Abouba was a key associate of President Tandja. When Tandja was ousted in a military coup on 18 February 2010, Abouba and other members of the government were detained. Abouba was one of several ministers who were not promptly released from house arrest in the days after the coup.[8] According to one of the junta leaders, Colonel Djibrilla Hamidou Hima, the ministers "still under surveillance" had held "very sensitive portfolios" and therefore it was necessary "to ensure their security". The MNSD called for the release of Abouba, Tandja, and the others.[9] The other ministers were eventually released on 4 March, but Abouba and Tandja remained in detention.[10]

After the MNSD issued another demand for the "unconditional and immediate release" of Abouba and Tandja, the head of the junta, Salou Djibo, said on 31 July 2010 that they would not be released.[11] In August 2013 he joined the government of President Mahamadou Issoufou as Minister of State at the President office. That action was an answer for the Government of Union so much wanted by the President. The MNSD then separate into two clans, one supporting the idea of the government and on the other hand some that were against it. For almost a year the MNSD had an internal crisis which created a long process of justice hearing. Then the party had two leaders, Seyni Oumarou and Albadé Abouba. Albadé Abouba and his friends decided to create their own political party called “MPR-Jamhuriya” (Patriotic Movement for the Republic). After the 2016 general elections, Albadé Abouba’s party won 13 seats at the parliament. Albadé Abouba is since April 2016 the Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.

• Robert Fowler (diplomat)

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