On the night of August 28, soldiers from Niger’s Special Intelligence Battalion launched a mutiny at Air Base 101, located within Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. The insurgents detained fellow soldiers, fired on sensitive sites, and advanced toward the presidential palace. The uprising was repelled by the Presidential Guard, with three guard soldiers killed in the clashes, according to an official press release from the Nigerien Defense Ministry.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Council of Ministers of Niger’s transitional government accused the French government of inciting and supporting the mutiny. The council described the unrest as an operation with “international ramifications” sustained by a network of collaborators led by the “French regime.” It said that “treacherous and renegade elements” were tasked with carrying out the unfulfilled ambitions of French President Emmanuel Macron and his associates to destabilise the country and undermine its sovereignty over natural resources. The government also said it had compiled substantial documentation on the alleged aggression and reserved the right to initiate proceedings before international courts.
French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noel Barrot rejected the accusations on Saturday, calling them “pure fantasy.” He told RFI that Paris has “neither the intention nor the means” to organize such an operation.
According to Niger’s Defense Ministry, loyalist forces, assisted by Russia’s Africa Corps, suppressed the uprising. The transitional government thanked “friendly countries,” particularly Russia, Algeria and other members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), for demonstrating solidarity with Niger from the outset of the unrest. Algeria also sent fighter, transport and refueling aircraft to Niamey after the uprising.
Niger and its AES allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, have repeatedly accused France of seeking to destabilise their countries and supporting armed groups behind the deadly jihadist insurgency in the Sahel. Paris has denied these allegations.
Article and image source: sierraleonetimes.com
