Niger Says Coup Attempt Foiled After Night of Gunfire in Niamey
NIGER · COUP ATTEMPT
Key Facts
—What happened: Heavy gunfire and explosions shook Niamey overnight from Friday into Saturday, centred on Base 101, an air force base inside Diori Hamani International Airport, and on the presidential palace district.
—The government’s account: The defence ministry said dissident soldiers took officers hostage at the base and fired on “sensitive sites”. State television later described an attempted coup by young soldiers and said it had been defeated.
—The toll: State media and the Associated Press reported dozens of soldiers killed or arrested. No official casualty figure has been published.
—What is not confirmed: The whereabouts of junta leader Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani were unclear on Saturday, and the AP said it could not independently confirm that loyalist forces fully control the base.
—The backdrop: This is the third attack this year on the airport complex, after jihadist assaults claimed by the Islamic State group in January and by al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM in June.
Niger’s military government said on Saturday it had defeated an attempted coup by dissident soldiers after a night of heavy gunfire and explosions around Niamey’s main airport and the presidential palace. Dozens of soldiers were reported killed or arrested, and the whereabouts of junta leader Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani were unclear.
What happened overnight in Niamey
Residents in several districts of the Nigerien capital reported sustained gunfire and explosions beginning around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Witnesses quoted by Reuters described a heavy exchange of fire that went on for hours.
The shooting was concentrated around Diori Hamani International Airport, the adjoining Base 101 and the presidential palace. A security source told Reuters the attackers tried to breach the security perimeter around the presidency, and clashes were also reported near the headquarters of the state broadcaster.
Armoured vehicles deployed toward the airport district, according to witnesses and videos circulating online. State broadcaster Télé Sahel went off the air during the unrest and resumed broadcasting later in the morning.
What the government says
Defence Minister Gen. Salifou Mody said a group of soldiers broke with “discipline and military regulations”, took officers hostage at Base 101 and fired on sensitive sites. In a statement read on public television, he said the situation was under control and urged the population to go about its business calmly.
State media described the events as an attempted coup by young, disaffected soldiers and later showed footage of dozens of mostly young soldiers being paraded in public. The broadcast said security forces had gradually taken control, arresting and incapacitating the mutineers.
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a lawmaker who sits on the junta’s consultative council, said loyalist forces had regained control of the airport. The ruling council, known by its French initials CNSP, called for unity and vigilance in a post on Facebook.
What remains unconfirmed
The whereabouts of Gen. Tiani, who seized power in a July 2023 coup, were unclear on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. No image or statement from him had emerged by Saturday evening.
The AP also said it could not independently confirm that government forces had regained full control of Base 101. Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, said loyalists held the upper hand at the airport, but it was unclear whether military columns moving toward the capital were coming to support the mutiny or the junta.
No official casualty toll has been issued. The AP reported that dozens of soldiers were killed or arrested, citing the state television broadcast and analysts, and earlier agency reports said several civilians were injured.
Why Base 101 matters
Base 101 is Niger’s most strategic military site. It hosts a Nigerien air force wing, Turkish-made drones, the headquarters of the joint force of the Alliance of Sahel States — the confederation Niger formed with Mali and Burkina Faso after all three left the West African bloc ECOWAS — and personnel of Russia’s Africa Corps paramilitary force.
The mutineers reportedly held Africa Corps personnel hostage at the base. Analysts and diplomats said the Russian unit gave the government aerial and ground support, and Russian media quoted Moscow’s ambassador to Niger as saying senior Nigerien officers had thanked the Corps for helping to suppress the rebellion.
It was the third attack on the airport complex this year. The Islamic State group claimed a January assault in which the defence ministry said 20 attackers were killed, and the al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claimed a June attack that killed 11 soldiers and two civilians.
The junta justified its 2023 takeover, which ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum, by the civilian government’s failure to stem jihadist violence. It has since broken with France and other Western partners in favour of Russia, yet the violence has worsened — and analysts say that failure is now feeding unrest inside the army itself.
Reaction at home and abroad
Algeria, Niger’s northern neighbour, offered its “full solidarity and firm support” and called for a rapid return to stability. Turkey, which supplies drones to Niamey, called for restraint and said it stood in solidarity with Niger.
The unrest erupted as an extraordinary African Union summit on conflict prevention opened in Luanda, Angola. The AU had made no public statement on the events in Niger by Saturday night; Niger has been suspended from the bloc since the 2023 coup.
Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries and a significant uranium producer. The junta has tightened its grip on the uranium sector over the past year, seizing assets from the French nuclear group Orano.
Frequently asked questions
Is the coup attempt in Niger over?
The government says it has defeated the mutiny and that the situation is under control. Independent confirmation that loyalists fully control Base 101 was still lacking on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Where is junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani?
His whereabouts were unclear on Saturday, the AP reported. No statement or image from him had emerged by Saturday evening.
Who are the mutineers?
State media describe them as young soldiers aggrieved by worsening insecurity. Diplomats and analysts said some came from southwestern regions such as Ouallam, Téra and Dosso, among the areas hardest hit by jihadist violence.
What is Base 101?
An air force base inside Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport. It hosts Turkish drones, the joint-force headquarters of the Alliance of Sahel States and Russian Africa Corps personnel, and has now been attacked three times this year.
How many people were killed?
No official toll exists. State media and the AP reported dozens of soldiers killed or arrested; several civilians were reported injured.
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