Mutinous soldiers attacked Niger's capital Niamey early Saturday, hitting the airport and areas near the presidency with sustained gunfire and explosions. State television went offline and the presidential palace was reportedly secured by loyalist troops, but the area around the airport remained contested as fighting stretched into the morning.
Sustained gunfire and explosions rang out early Saturday across several areas of Niamey, including the airport and near the presidency, in what four sources described as an attack by mutinous soldiers. State television and radio were offline as of 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), though the government issued a statement urging calm and said security forces were mobilizing in response.
Attack tests Tiani's grip on power
The assault marks the latest threat to the rule of Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a 2023 coup. Tiani had pledged to improve security in the Sahel nation, but jihadist attacks have persisted, with al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates striking the civilian airport and the military airbase earlier this year.
An early morning assault lasted for hours and involved soldiers from Ouallam, Tera and Dosso in the southwest, according to a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. Troops from that area have sustained heavy casualties in battles with the regional Islamic State affiliate. A separate Niger security source said "terrorists" had attacked the airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidency, and a Reuters witness reported heavy gunfire near the presidency.
Official says army regained Base 101
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger's Bureau of the Consultative Council and a deputy in the Alliance of Sahel States parliament, said on Facebook that attackers had targeted the military airbase known as Base 101, but that security forces had regained control. According to Ibrahim: "Another cowardly attack on Base 101 and once again our defence and security forces ensured" the situation was under control.
However, a Reuters witness reported further gunfire at the airport and heavy explosions in the pre-dawn hours after Ibrahim's post was published. As of 0900 GMT, the presidential palace appeared to have been secured by loyalist troops while state television had fallen to the mutineers and the area around the airport remained contested, two security sources and a diplomat said. Reuters could not independently verify these accounts, and a Niger government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Uranium sector already under state control
Niger is a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, ruled by military officers since the July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Since seizing power, Tiani's government has shifted away from Western partners, deepened ties with Russia and broken with the regional ECOWAS bloc, joining Mali and Burkina Faso to form the breakaway AES bloc.
The unrest comes as authorities tighten control over the uranium sector, having seized assets from France's Orano. Niger had been a key supplier of nuclear fuel to Europe, accounting for about 15% of Orano's uranium supply at full capacity. Last week, the government reallocated former Orano and GoviEx uranium permits to state-backed companies, according to a decree.
Source: Commodities & Futures News
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