NIAMEY, Niger, Sept. 3 — Niger’s military said it was “gradually regaining control” on Saturday after mutineers held soldiers hostage at a military base next to the capital’s airport and opened fire on several sites in the city.
In a statement read on public television and signed by Defence Minister General Salifou Mody, authorities called on the public to “remain calm and freely go about their business.” The statement said “a group of soldiers acting in breach of military regulations attempted to detain some of their comrades at the Base 101 barracks in Niamey and opened fire on several sensitive sites in the city,” adding that “the prompt reaction of the defence and security forces made it possible to contain this mutiny and gradually regain control of these sites.” Security sources told AFP that “insurgents from within the armed forces” also tried to enter the presidential palace in Niamey but were repelled by the presidential guard.
Residents reported heavy gunfire in several neighbourhoods of the capital overnight, near the presidential palace and around the airport, which houses a major military base. The first shots were heard at about 1 am local time and continued until daybreak, according to a video published by a local journalist. Another resident heard “bursts of gunfire” at about 7 am and said a military vehicle heading toward the base had to turn back.
A resident in the west of Niamey heard sporadic small arms fire at about 5 am. State television was off air for over an hour before being restored at around 10 am.
In a post on its official social media pages, the military said: “In light of current events, let us remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information. Our defence and security forces have been mobilised for the defence of the homeland.”
A sensitive base, a region on edge
The origins of Saturday’s shooting were not immediately clear. Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta that has struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has blighted the country for around a decade. The military base at the airport has seen two previous attacks this year: first by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in January, then in late June by their rivals the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the military regime that emerged from a coup in July 2023, spoke in January of “a flaw in the system” that “enabled the attack,” whose “objective was to destroy all of the air capabilities” of the army. Air Force Base 101, located within the international airport complex, is home to the headquarters of Niamey’s Russian Africa Corps partners and the command of the unified force of the Alliance of Sahel States, of which Niger is a member with Burkina Faso and Mali.
The site is sensitive; between December and January, it hosted a large shipment of uranium concentrate held up while awaiting export. The EIS and JNIM are also active in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, allies of Niger also ruled by military juntas. For communities across the Sahel, the question now is whether the junta can hold the line — and whether the unrest at the heart of the capital signals deeper fractures within the armed forces it relies on to govern.
