Niger’s security forces battle mutinous soldiers in capital

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 marked by gunfire and explosions, authorities said on Saturday.

Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday in the city, including at the main airport that houses the military airbase, known as Base 101, and in the Plateau administrative district, where the presidential palace and key institutions are located.

It is the latest threat to Niger’s military junta, which seized power in a coup in 2023.

Under junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani, the West African country has severed ties with longtime Western security partners and turned to Russia. It has continued, however, to face attacks from ‘jihadi’ rebels and worsening economic hardship after aid cuts. Niger’s Defence Minister Gen Salifou Mody said some soldiers took some officers hostage at the base and shot at “sensitive sites” in a “break with the discipline and military regulations”.