Mutinous Soldiers Attack Airport, Palace in Niger's Capital
Authorities said soldiers fired at sensitive sites and took officers hostage before regaining control as gunfire and explosions spread across the capital.
- On Saturday, sustained gunfire and explosions rocked Niamey, Niger's capital, as a security source reported that "terrorists" attacked Diori Hamani International Airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidency.
- Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger's Bureau of the Consultative Council, said attackers targeted Base 101, a major military installation, and that security forces regained control of the situation.
- A second security source told Reuters that attackers had been "neutralised" while others fled, though Reuters could not immediately verify the claims following search operations launched by security forces.
- General Abdourahamane Tiani's junta has governed Niger since ousting President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, while the nation joined Mali and Burkina Faso in the Alliance of Sahel States to counter Islamist insurgencies.
- Deadly attacks killed at least 44 civilians in Niger earlier in 2026, illustrating persistent Sahelian violence despite military rulers pledging to improve security against ongoing jihadi insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
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262 Articles
Rebel soldiers attacked the airport and the presidential palace in Niger's capital Niamey early today, sparking hours of gunfire and explosions, while state television and radio briefly stopped broadcasting.
A group of soldiers reportedly attempted a coup in Niger's capital, Niamey. A statement from the Ministry of Defence says that government forces repelled the attacks by the insurgent soldiers.
After the attack, State television and radio stopped broadcasting, but it was later restored.
In the bitterly poor country, apostate soldiers rebel against the government. Shots and explosions shake the capital Niamey. Has the military been able to successfully stop mutiny?
Niger’s security forces battle mutinous soldiers in the capital
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 and threat to the country's struggling junta, authorities said Saturday.
Armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace.
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