Niger Mutiny: Soldiers Attack Niamey Airport and Palace

Mutinous soldiers attacked Niamey's airport and presidency before dawn Saturday, with loyalists regaining ground but mutineers holding out at the.

Mutinous soldiers in Niger attacked Diori Hamani International Airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, early Saturday, triggering hours of gunfire and explosions from around 1am local time and briefly knocking state television and radio off air. The defence ministry said soldiers shot at "sensitive sites" in the city and that armed forces were gradually retaking sites seized in the overnight attack. Security sources said mutineers were still at the airport in the afternoon, and the overall situation remained unclear Saturday night.

The attack marks the latest threat to the rule of General Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. State television said mutinous soldiers from a base in Niamey opened fire on "sensitive sites," and the mutineers' operation also involved troops from Ouallam, Tera and Dosso in the southwest, according to a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua of the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. Frontline units there have sustained heavy casualties against the Islamic State affiliate, and analysts say frustration within army ranks is mounting.

Tiani had pledged to improve security in the Sahel nation, a major uranium producer, but jihadist attacks have persisted. Just a week earlier, some 18 soldiers were killed in an attack on their position in the southern Dosso region, and ACLED senior analyst Heni Nsaibia said such mass-casualty attacks are becoming commonplace and will continue to fuel unrest within the army. "The jihadist groups will be the only winners in this situation," he said, noting resources otherwise spent fighting militants may go toward policing internal threats.

A Reuters witness reported gunfire at the airport and military airbase, where Russian and Italian forces are stationed, and heavy explosions in the pre-dawn hours. As of 0900 GMT, the presidential palace appeared secured by loyalist troops, but the area around the airport remained contested, according to two security sources and a diplomat. The defence ministry said the mutineers had sought "to detain some of their comrades" at the airbase, and loyalist troops were dispatched to retake the airport by negotiation or force.

The Alliance of Sahel States — Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso — voiced support for Niger's military and said the mutineers had been thwarted, though it was unclear whether Mali and Burkina Faso provided concrete military support. Russia's ambassador Viktor Voropayev told Russian media the junta had requested assistance from Russia's Africa Corps, which is based at the same Niamey airport that was attacked, while Algeria offered its "full solidarity and firm support." State broadcaster RTN said dozens of rebelling soldiers were arrested or killed.

Authorities urged the public to remain calm and go about their business in a statement read on public television and signed by Defense Minister General Salifou Mody, and the military said it was "gradually regaining control." Tiani made no public appearances Saturday, and even if he survives the mutiny, the unrest raises questions about internal cohesion in a government that has deepened ties with Russia, broken with ECOWAS, and last week reallocated former Orano and GoviEx uranium permits to state-backed companies. With jihadist attacks persisting and frontline frustration mounting, the standoff leaves Niger's political direction uncertain.