Niger’s ruling junta said it had regained control after mutinous soldiers triggered armed clashes in the capital, Niamey, on Saturday, moving towards the presidential palace and disrupting the state broadcaster.
Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta led by Abdourahamane Tiani, which has struggled to contain jihadist violence that has affected the West African country for around a decade.
After hours of heavy exchanges around some of the capital’s most sensitive sites, the junta said it had largely regained control from the rebel soldiers.
The fighting appeared to have subsided later on Saturday, although a regional security source and an African diplomatic source said the rebelling troops still controlled two barracks around Niamey.
By Saturday evening, diplomatic and security sources told AFP that members of Niger’s presidential guard, assisted by Russian forces, had recaptured the air base and killed some of the mutineers.
When the fighting broke out shortly after midnight, soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television station, Tele Sahel. The station went off the air for just over an hour before broadcasting resumed at around 10am local time.
The ruling junta later said in a statement read on state television that it was gradually regaining control after hours of clashes.
“There was an attempt by insurgents from the Nigerien armed forces to enter the presidential palace,” a security source told AFP, adding that the presidential guard had pushed them back.
Defence Minister Salifou Mody said on state television that a group of soldiers had held some troops hostage at a barracks in Niamey and opened fire at “certain sensitive sites” in the city, without specifying which locations were targeted.
He said troops and security forces had quickly restored control and called on residents to remain calm.
Residents report bursts of gunfire
The gunfire began in the early hours of Saturday, prompting the military to issue a statement on social media urging people to remain calm and “avoid sharing unverified information”.
“Our defence and security forces have been mobilised for the defence of the homeland,” the statement said.
One resident reported “heavy gunfire and explosions” at Base 101 in Niamey, a claim that was supported by several other witnesses.
The first shots were heard at about 1am local time and continued until daybreak, according to a video published by a local journalist who was filming the area around the airport.
Another resident said he heard “bursts of gunfire” at about 7am, adding that the weapons sounded “not the kind that terrorists on motorbikes can carry”.
“I went to get credit for my phone. I saw a military vehicle heading towards the base that had to turn back,” he said.
Another resident in western Niamey said he heard sporadic small-arms fire at about 5am.
Videos posted online showed armoured vehicles being deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport.
By late Saturday morning, a resident of the Yantala district near the presidential palace said the situation had become calm.
“Everything is calm again, we can’t hear any more shooting,” the resident said.
Meanwhile, supporters of the junta called on “sincere patriots” to demonstrate in support of the authorities at a major square in Niamey.
By late afternoon, several dozen people had gathered there, with military music praising Tiani playing as a platform for speeches was being prepared.
Neighbouring Algeria condemned the events and pledged its support for the Niamey government.
Airport has faced jihadist attacks
The latest clashes came after Niamey’s airport had already been targeted twice this year by jihadists.
The Islamic State in the Sahel attacked the airport in January, while the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda, launched another attack in late June.
The two jihadist groups are not only targeting civilians and military forces but are also competing for dominance in the Sahel, particularly in Niger.
Authorities said 20 assailants were killed and four soldiers wounded in the January attack.
In June, at least 11 soldiers and two civilians were killed, along with 22 attackers, according to the defence ministry. Both attacks were repelled by the army.
The Islamic State in the Sahel and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims are also active in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, which are likewise ruled by military juntas that came to power through coups.
The three countries have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States, turned away from traditional Western partners in the fight against jihadist violence, particularly France, and sought closer ties with Russia.
Air Force Base 101, located within the international airport complex, houses the headquarters of Russia’s Africa Corps in Niamey and the command of the unified force of the Alliance of Sahel States, of which Niger is a member alongside Burkina Faso and Mali.
The site is considered sensitive. Between December and January, it hosted a large shipment of uranium concentrate that was held up while awaiting export. No movement of the shipment has been identified since.
