Inside the 24-Hour Mutiny that Threatened Niger’s Ruling Junta and How Russian Forces Intervened
Dozens of mutineers were arrested or killed after loyalist forces and Russia’s Africa Corps retook key sites, officials and analysts said.
- On Sunday, normalcy returned to Niamey, Niger, after loyalist forces repelled a mutiny that began Friday night with sustained gunfire at Diori Hamani International Airport and near the presidential palace.
- Rising insecurity and rampant jihadi attacks triggered soldiers' grievances, with a recent assault in the southern Dosso region killing at least 18 soldiers about a week ago.
- Russia's Africa Corps, maintaining 200 to 300 personnel in Niger, provided ground and aerial support to retake the air base. Moscow's ambassador Viktor Voropayev said mutineers were "neutralized particularly thanks to the intervention."
- The regional Alliance of Sahel States, including Burkina Faso and Mali, issued a statement Saturday expressing "full support" for the junta and condemning the "betrayal" from soldiers. Algeria and Turkey also pledged solidarity.
- Deteriorating insecurity continues to drive instability across the central Sahel, with analysts warning that jihadi violence is "becoming commonplace and will continue to fuel unrest and aggravate tensions within the army ranks.
79 Articles
79 Articles
The Express Tribune
Niamey back to normal after soldier mutiny
Niamey back to normal after soldier mutiny
Radio France Internationale
Niamey back to normal after soldiers' mutiny
Intense fighting took place overnight from Friday to Saturday, before the army and its Russian Africa Corps allies managed to take back control late in the day. Mutineers notably tried to storm the presidential compound. Several were killed, according to a security source, while others were arrested. Television pictures showed soldiers surrendering. Niger has been led by General Abdourahamane Tiani since a coup in July 2023. He has moved the cou…
On Saturday, August 29, the assault on the presidential palace by mutineers was thwarted thanks to the assistance of Russian mercenaries from Africa Corps. This rebellion by a faction of the Nigerien army reveals the fragility of General Tiani's regime.
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