Niger’s ruling junta said it was back in control after mutinous soldiers set off armed clashes in Niger’s capital Saturday, moving on the presidential palace and disrupting the state broadcaster.
Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani that has struggled to contain jihadist violence flaring in the west African country for around a decade.
After hours of heavy exchanges around some of Niamey’s most sensitive sites, the junta declared in a statement read on state television that it was gradually taking back control after hours of clashes.
By Saturday evening, diplomatic and security sources told AFP that members of Niger’s presidential guard helped by Russian forces had recaptured the key Air Force Base 101, killing some of the mutineers.
When fighting broke out shortly after midnight, soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television station, Tele Sahel, which went off the air for just over an hour, before being restored around 10:00 am (0900 GMT).
“There was an attempt by insurgents from the Nigerien armed forces to enter the presidential palace,” a security source told AFP, adding that the presidential guard had pushed them back.
Niger’s defence minister, General Salifou Mody, said on state television that a group of soldiers had held some troops hostage at a barracks in Niamey, opening fire at “certain sensitive sites” in the city, without specifying which ones.
Troops and security forces had quickly taken back control, he added, calling on local people to remain calm.
‘Bursts Of Gunfire’
The first shots were heard at about 1:00 am local time and continued until daybreak, according to a video published by a local journalist filming the area around the airport.
The military issued a statement on its social media pages urging people to stay calm and “avoid sharing unverified information”.
One local resident speaking to AFP reported “heavy gunfire and explosions” at Base 101 in Niamey — the regime’s nerve centre — a claim confirmed by several other witnesses.
Another said he had heard “bursts of gunfire” at about 7:00 am local time, adding that the weapons heard “are not the kind that terrorists on motorbikes can carry”.
He added: “I saw a military vehicle heading towards the base that had to turn back.”
But locals said that by late morning, calm had returned to the city centre, home to the presidential palace.
Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport.
Base 101, located within the international airport complex, is home to the headquarters of Russia’s Africa Corps in Niamey
The base is also the command of the unified force of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Niger is a member with Burkina Faso and Mali.
On Saturday evening, the AES confederation said in a statement that it had been the target of “betrayal by a group of soldiers involved in a destabilization plot” that was ultimately “contained and thwarted.”
Rival jihadist Groups
Turkey’s foreign ministry -— one of the AES’s partners —- expressed hope that “calm would be restored as soon as possible” and affirmed that it would “continue to stand in solidarity with Niger”.
Neighbouring Algeria condemned Saturday’s events and pledged support for the Niamey government.
Niamey airport has been targeted twice this year by jihadists, first by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in January, then in late June by its rival, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda.
Both groups are also active in neighbouring allies Burkina Faso and Mali, which are also ruled by military juntas that seized power in coups.
The three countries turned their backs on traditional Western partners in the fight against jihadist violence, especially France, and sought closer ties with Russia.
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