NIAMEY - Niger's military authorities said Sunday they had regained control of Air Base 101 in Niamey, a day after soldiers mutinied at the facility and opened fire at other sensitive locations in the capital, according to Reuters.
Defence Minister General Salifou Mody said in a statement broadcast on state television that a group of soldiers took colleagues hostage at the base, located within the Diori Hamani International Airport complex, shortly after midnight Saturday, before firing at "sensitive sites" in a break with military discipline. Explosions and sustained gunfire were reported around the airport and near the presidential palace in the Plateau district. State broadcaster RTN went off air temporarily before resuming coverage.
State media said fighting lasted several hours before security forces gradually regained control, and aired footage it said showed mutineers surrendering. It reported that dozens of soldiers were killed or arrested, though Reuters and AP said they could not independently confirm those figures or the broader state media account.
Heavy Battlefield Losses
Reuters reported that the operation involved soldiers from Niamey as well as troops from Ouallam, Téra and Dosso, citing a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. Those areas have suffered some of the army's heaviest recent losses fighting Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked affiliates; roughly 18 soldiers were killed in an attack in the Dosso region about a week earlier. Heni Nsaibia, a senior West Africa analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, said such mass-casualty attacks "are becoming commonplace and will continue to fuel unrest and aggravate tensions within the army ranks."
The Alliance of Sahel States, the bloc grouping Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, said the mutiny had been "contained and thwarted," describing it as "a betrayal by a group of soldiers involved in a destabilisation plot."
Russian Paramilitary Involvement
Russia's ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropayev, told the TASS news agency that Africa Corps, the Kremlin-linked paramilitary force, had received a request to help neutralise the mutineers. Russian media separately quoted Voropayev saying senior Nigerien officers later visited the Africa Corps base to thank its personnel for their assistance. Russian and Italian forces are also stationed at the airbase complex, which houses military aircraft, drones and a counterterrorism unit of the Alliance of Sahel States. The base was previously attacked twice this year, by an Islamic State affiliate in January and an al-Qaeda-linked group in June.
Military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in the July 2023 coup, had not appeared publicly as of Sunday morning, though security sources said the Presidential Guard remained loyal and in control of the presidency. The mutiny represents one of the most serious internal challenges to his rule since he took power, exposing strain within security forces already stretched by a persistent jihadist insurgency.
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Frequently asked questions
What happened at Air Base 101 in Niamey?
A group of soldiers staged a mutiny, taking colleagues hostage at the base before firing at sensitive sites around the capital. Security forces engaged in fighting for several hours before gradually regaining control.
Why did the soldiers in Niger mutiny?
The mutiny was fueled by growing frustration within the army ranks over heavy battlefield losses against Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked affiliates, particularly following recent mass-casualty attacks.
Did outside forces help quell the mutiny in Niger?
Yes. According to Russia's ambassador to Niger, the Kremlin-linked paramilitary force Africa Corps received a request from Nigerien authorities to help neutralize the mutineers.
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