Rebel soldiers attack Niger presidency and capital

Mutinous soldiers in Niger attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey , ​early on Saturday, triggering hours of sustained gunfire and explosions and briefly knocking state television and radio off air.

By ‌late morning, Niger’s defence ministry said the armed forces were progressively retaking control of sites targeted in the overnight attack, but security sources said mutineers were still present at the airport and the overall situation remained unclear.

The attack marked 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, a major uranium producer, but jihadist attacks have persisted.

State ​television, after resuming broadcasts, aired a message saying mutinous soldiers from a base in Niamey had opened fire ⁠on “sensitive sites” in the city.

Security forces had reacted quickly and “contained this disturbance”, it said.

Earlier this year, affiliates of al Qaeda and ​Islamic State both carried out attacks on the civilian airport and military airbase, contributing to initial suspicion that militants could have been behind the ​assault on the capital.

Troops joining mutiny from outside capital A Reuters witness reported gunfire at the airport and heavy explosions in the pre-dawn hours.

As of 0900 GMT, the presidential palace appeared to have been secured by loyalist troops but the area around the airport was still contested, two security sources and a diplomat said.

Two ​sources said that loyalist troops had been dispatched to retake control of the airport, either through negotiations or by force.

The assault also involved ​soldiers from the localities of Ouallam, Tera and Dosso in the southwest, according to a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua, senior researcher at the ‌Bonn International ⁠Centre for Conflict Studies.

Troops in this area have sustained heavy casualties in battles with the regional Islamic State affiliate, and analysts and security sources say frustration with the government is mounting within frontline units.

It was not clear how many troops allied with the mutineers had entered Niamey or where they had deployed.

Battling militants, controlling uranium Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled ​by military officers since the July ​2023 coup that ousted President ⁠Mohamed Bazoum.