NewzNIAMEY, 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 struggling junta, authorities said Saturday.Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday, including at Niamey's main airport that houses the military air base and in a district where the presidential palace is located. Security forces were deployed to key locations.Since a coup in 2023, the impoverished West African country of more than 25 million people has severed ties with longtime Western security partners, turning instead to Russia. But the junta has been unable to stem jihadi violence and rampant killing of security forces, fueling unrest within the military, observers say.By Saturday afternoon, several analysts and two witnesses said the situation in the city remains tense.
The whereabouts of Niger's military leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, who seized power following the coup, were not immediately clear.Niger’s Defense Minister Gen. Salifou Mody said a group of soldiers took some officers hostage at the base and shot at “sensitive sites” in a “break with the discipline and military regulations.”The Defense and Security Forces were able to "gradually regain control of these sites," Mody said.Security forces were deployed around the airport and in the Plateau district, while a major road leading to Niamey was closed. Many residents remained indoors over safety concerns.The ruling military council, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, called for unity.
“Our Defense and Security Forces are mobilized for the Defense of the Fatherland. Let us remain united, vigilant and supportive,” it said in a Facebook post.State broadcaster RTN stopped its live transmission for some time on Saturday morning, but later resumed its broadcast.Niger's military junta has struggled to stem violence, fueling unrestIt is the third time this year that the base at the Diori Hamani International Airport has been attacked, after two earlier assaults by jihadi rebels.The airport is a strategic hub that hosts 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 string of coups in Africa’s Sahel region, but are strugglin…
The West African country has since then 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 Defense 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.”The prompt reaction of the Defense and Security Forces made it possible to intervene "and gradually regain control of these sites," Mody said.It was not immediately clear if the situation was under control.Security forces were deployed around the airport and in the Plateau district while a major road leading to Niamey was closed.
Many residents remained indoors over safety concerns.It is the third time this year that the base at the Diori Hamani International Airport has been attacked, after two earlier assaults by jihadi rebels.State broadcaster RTN stopped its live transmission for some time on Saturday morning, but later resumed its broadcast.The ruling military council, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, called for unity. Let us remain united, vigilant and supportive,” it said in a Facebook post.Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a local lawmaker, called Saturday's incident a “cowardly attack” and said the situation has been brought under control.The airport is a strategic hub that hosts a Nigerien air force base as well as the headquarters of the joint Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali military force.The mutiny adds to pressure on the military authorities, which have struggled…
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