Courmo was closely involved with Diori during the independence struggle, serving as Secretary General of the PPN from 1946 to 1955.
He was of Djerma ethnicity, born in the western city of Say, and attended the elite Ecole William Ponty in Dakar during French Colonial rule.
[3] A powerful figure, Courmo was one of a handful of Diori's inner circle during the period of one party rule.
Courmo fell from power in 1972 when he acted in support of an abortive military coup, itself crushed almost immediately by the Nigerien Armed Forces.
He was quietly forced into retirement, becoming one of only two members of the PPN politburo to be dropped prior to the 1974 end of the Diori regime.