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 and threat to the country’s embattled junta, authorities said Saturday. Sustained gunshots and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday, including at Niamey’s main airport that hosts the military air base and in a district where the presidential palace is located. Security forces were deployed in key locations. On Saturday afternoon, the situation remained tense with rioters camped at the airport while the presidential guard continued to control the presidency, according to several analysts and a diplomat. The whereabouts of military leader Abdourahamane Tchiani is unclear. The unrest appeared to have been sparked by grievances over the country’s security problems and incessant killings by security forces, analysts said. Some of the mutinous soldiers came from the southwest of the country, one of the regions most affected by insecurity, according to a European diplomat. Niger’s junta came to power after a 2023 coup that it said was sparked by the elected government’s failure to curb gun violence. The impoverished West African country of more than 25 million people has since cut ties with former Western security partners and instead turned to Russia. But the junta has failed to stop jihadist violence and rampant killings by security forces, fueling unrest within the military, observers say. Niger’s Defense Minister, General Salifou Mody, said a group of soldiers took some officers hostage at the base and fired at “sensitive sites” in a “break with military discipline and regulations.” Niger requests help from Russia’s African CorpsThe ruling military council, known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Fatherland, called for unity. “Our Defense and Security Forces are mobilized for the Defense of the Homeland. Let us remain united, vigilant and supportive,” he said in a post on Facebook. State broadcaster RTN suspended its live broadcast for some time on Saturday morning, but later resumed it. The Nigerien military authorities have requested the assistance of Russia’s African Corps to “suppress” the mutiny, Russian press quoted Moscow’s ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropayev, as saying. The African Corps is stationed at the airport base from where it provides security support to Niger. “The mutineers are ordered to lay down their arms,” the ambassador said. He did not say whether the requested support was being provided. Algeria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the country has assured Niger, its southeastern neighbor, of its “full solidarity and firm support, with a view to overcoming this terrible experience and promoting a rapid return to stability.” Niger’s military junta has struggled to stop the violence, fueling unrest. It is the third time this year that the base at Diori Hamani International Airport has been attacked, after two previous attacks by jihadist rebels. The attacks “are becoming common and will continue to fuel unrest and aggravate tensions within the ranks of the military,” said Heni Nsaibia, senior West Africa analyst at Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a conflict monitor. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. “Deteriorating insecurity fueled the coups that swept across the central Sahel, and recent events show how those same pressures are now fueling unrest within the military that seized power,” Nsaibia said. The airport is a strategic hub hosting a Nigerien air force base as well as the headquarters of the joint Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali military force. All three countries are now under military rule, following a series of coups in Africa’s Sahel region, but struggle with insecurity. The mutiny increases pressure on military authorities, who have been unable to contain the deadly jihadist violence. Before the 2023 coup, Niger had been the West’s last reliable partner in the region in the fight against jihadists linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group in the Sahel. However, the country’s security forces, aided by Russia’s African Corps, have been overstretched on multiple fronts by jihadist groups whose repeated attacks over the past year have resulted in massive casualties within the military.
