Mutinous soldiers launch assault in Niger’s capital
Mutinous soldiers in Niger attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, early on Saturday, triggering hours of sustained gunfire and explosions and briefly knocking state television and radio off air, reports BritPanorama.
By late morning, Niger’s defense ministry stated that the armed forces were progressively retaking control of targeted sites, but security sources reported that mutineers remained at the airport, leaving the overall situation unclear.
This incident represents another significant challenge to the authority of Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power in a coup in 2023. Despite Tiani’s promises to enhance security in the Sahel nation, a major producer of uranium, jihadist attacks have continued unabated.
After resuming broadcasts, state television announced that mutinous soldiers from a base in Niamey had opened fire on “sensitive sites” in the city. Security forces responded swiftly, asserting that they had contained the disturbance.
A Reuters witness noted gunfire at the airport as well as heavy explosions in the pre-dawn hours. By 0900 GMT, the presidential palace appeared to be secured by loyalist troops, though the area surrounding the airport remained contested, according to two security sources and a diplomat.
Reports indicate that loyalist troops were dispatched to regain control over the airport, employing either negotiations or force. The assault also included soldiers from the areas of Ouallam, Tera, and Dosso in the southwest, according to a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.
Frontline troops in the region have suffered heavy casualties in skirmishes with the local Islamic State affiliate, with growing frustration directed at the government. It remains unclear how many soldiers were allied with the mutineers and where they were positioned within Niamey.
Earlier this year, al Qaeda and the Islamic State both targeted the civilian airport and military airbase, raising initial suspicions that militants might have been involved in the recent assault on the capital.
Niger, rich in minerals such as uranium, oil, and gold, has been under military leadership since the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023. Like neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger has struggled against Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, despite military rulers’ promises for improved security.
The al Qaeda affiliate in West Africa claimed responsibility for an attack on Niamey’s airport in June, only months after the Islamic State Sahel Province targeted the same facility.
Since taking power, Tiani’s government has distanced itself from Western alliances, strengthening ties with Russia and breaking off relations with the regional ECOWAS bloc to establish the breakaway AES bloc alongside Mali and Burkina Faso.
The unrest occurs amid government moves to tighten control over its uranium sector, having seized assets owned by France’s Orano. Niger previously provided about 15% of Orano’s uranium supply at full capacity, positioning itself as a key supplier of nuclear fuel to Europe.
Just last week, the government reallocated permits previously held by Orano and GoviEx uranium to state-backed companies, according to an official decree.
