Niger's security forces battle mutinuous soldiers at a strategic base, presidency district
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — A group of soldiers in Niger rebelled against officers at a key military base and fired at sensitive locations in the capital, Niamey, in an apparent mutiny marked by gunfire and explosions,
authorities said Saturday, in what was seen as a major threat to the country's struggling junta.
Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday in the city, including at the main airport that houses the military air base, known as Base 101, and in the Plateau administrative district, where the presidential palace and key institutions are located.
It's the latest threat to Niger's military junta under Abdourahamane Tchiani, who seized power following a 2023 coup. The West African country has since then severed ties with longtime Western security partners and turned to Russia. It has continued, however, to face attacks from jihadi rebels and worsening economic hardship after aid cuts.
Niger’s Defense Minister Gen. Salifou Mody said some soldiers took some officers hostage at the base and shot at “sensitive sites” in a “break with the discipline and military regulations.”
The prompt reaction of the Defense and Security Forces made it possible to intervene "and gradually regain control of these sites," Mody said.
It was not immediately clear if the situation was under control.
Security forces were deployed around the airport and in the Plateau district while a major road leading to Niamey was closed. Many residents remained indoors over safety concerns.
It is the third time this year that the base at the Diori Hamani International Airport has been attacked, after two earlier assaults by jihadi rebels.
State broadcaster RTN stopped its live transmission for some time on Saturday morning, but later resumed its broadcast.
The ruling military council, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, called for unity. “Our Defense and Security Forces are mobilized for the Defense of the Fatherland. Let us remain united, vigilant and supportive,” it said in a Facebook post.
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a local lawmaker, called Saturday's incident a “cowardly attack” and said the situation has been brought under control.
The airport is a strategic hub that hosts a Nigerien air force base as well as the headquarters of the joint Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali military force.
The mutiny adds to pressure on the military authorities, which have struggled to contain deadly jihadi violence. The violence has battered parts of Africa’s Sahel region, including Niger's neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, which are also run by military juntas.
It comes amid recent military takeovers in Africa’s Sahel, the vast, arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert that has become a global hot spot for extremist violence. Before the 2023 coup, Niger had been the West’s last reliable partner in the region in battling jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.