Inside the 24-hour mutiny that threatened Niger’s ruling junta and how Russian forces intervened

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Niger’s capital of Niamey on Sunday appeared calm with normalcy restored after a day of unrest as young soldiers staged a mutiny that threatened the ruling military junta before being repelled by loyalist forces aided by Russian troops.

In what was seen as a major threat to the junta in power since a 2023 coup, the soldiers engaged loyalist forces in sustained gunfire overnight from Friday till late Saturday. Most of the clashes took place at Niamey’s main airport that houses the military air base and in a district where the presidential palace is located.

The unrest culminated in the arrest or killing of dozens of soldiers who were paraded in front of the cameras live on state television. The fate of the mutineers was not immediately clear and authorities did not disclose any charges against them.

On Sunday, military trucks and check points were seen across the city, particularly along major roads between the airport and the presidential district. Junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani was yet to make any public comments or appearance.

Here’s what we know about the mutiny, according to witnesses, analysts and diplomats:

Nigeriens were awoken around midnight on Friday into Saturday by bursts of gunfire and explosions that started at the Diori Hamani International Airport. The airport is a strategic hub that hosts a key military air base, known as Base 101, as well as the headquarters of Russia’s Africa Corps in the country. It was the third time this year the airport has experienced unrest.

Gunshots were also heard near the presidential palace in the Plateau district of Niamey as a group of soldiers confronted forces loyal to the junta.

Niger’s Defense Ministry said its forces were gradually regaining control of the situation after a group of soldiers took their “comrades” hostage at the air base and fired at “sensitive” sites, without specifying cause of the unrest.

The chaos persisted for hours late into Saturday as the presidential guard and other loyalist forces secured the air base and the presidency, analysts and diplomats said.

Some of the mutineers came from hot spots in the south and west, among the areas worst-hit by jihadi violence, and were rallying support from others stationed outside the city, according to one European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about the matter.

The unrest appeared to have been triggered by grievances over rising insecurity, including rampant jihadi attacks that have led to the mass killing of soldiers in the last year.

Deadly attacks are “becoming commonplace (in the country) and will continue to fuel unrest and aggravate tensions within the army ranks,” said Héni Nsaibia, senior West Africa analyst at Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a conflict monitor.

Jihadi violence has worsened in the wider Sahel region, including in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, where the military also seized power from civilian governments. The junta in Niger promised to stabilize the country but instead security has deteriorated. Attacks on military positions have increased, including one about a week ago when at least 18 soldiers were reportedly killed in the southern Dosso region.

Far below the expectations that followed their forceful takeover of power from their barracks, the junta led Niger into a “critical security situation” fueling discontent and the mutiny was led by soldiers mostly deployed on the ground against the jihadis, according to Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank.

“Deteriorating insecurity drove the coups that swept across the central Sahel, and the latest events show how these same pressures are now fueling unrest within the militaries that seized power,” said Nsaibia.

The mutineers remained camped at the military base within the airport complex for several hours, resisting efforts from loyalist forces, until Russia’s Africa Corps intervened with ground and aerial support, several analysts said.

The Africa Corps is believed to have between 200 to 300 personnel in Niger where it is primarily protecting the junta and its interests, and also supporting the fight against jihadis.

In interviews broadcast on Russian media, Moscow’s ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropayev, said Niger had requested support from the Russian force and the mutineers were “neutralized particularly thanks to the intervention” of Africa Corps.

The mutineers outnumbered the elite presidential guard that was deployed to retake the air base and it was unclear who was in control until the Russians intervened, according to Nasr, from the Soufan Center.

“At the end of the day, it is easier to go full-blown on repression when it’s a foreign force,” Nasr said.

The regional Alliance of Sahel States (AES) that includes Burkina Faso and Mali issued a statement late Saturday expressing its “full support” to Niger and condemning the “betrayal” from the soldiers.

“Thanks to the bravery and professionalism of the loyalist republican forces, this latest attempt was contained and thwarted,” it said

Algeria, the first country on Saturday to express support for Niger, its southeastern neighbor, assured it of its “full solidarity and firm support.”

Turkey, another key ally of Niger, expressed solidarity with the country and its people, called for “restraint” for the preservation of the country’s security and stability.