Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerien government, through the national television channel RTN, has announced the arrest of several mutineer soldiers following a failed rebellion in the capital, Niamey. The attempted mutiny, which unfolded over nearly 24 hours, was seen as a major threat to the country's ruling military junta, according to analysts and state television broadcasts.
The unrest began late on Friday, August 28, 2026, when a group of young soldiers, reportedly aggrieved over the worsening militant violence under the junta's rule, took officers hostage at Air Base 101, located within Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport. The mutineers also fired at "sensitive sites" in what the Defence Minister, General Salifou Mody, described as a "break with the discipline and military regulations". Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday, with fighting also reported near the presidential palace.
State broadcaster RTN showed footage of dozens of mostly young soldiers being paraded in public after the unrest. RTN reported that "the fighting lasted a few hours in several places, which allowed (security forces) to gradually control the situation, arrest and incapacitate these moody soldiers".
According to several diplomats and analysts, Russia's Africa Corps provided aerial and ground support to local forces in resisting the rebellion. Senior Nigerien military officers visited the Africa Corps base at the airport and "expressed gratitude to its servicemen for their assistance in suppressing the rebellion," Russian media quoted Moscow's Ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropayev, as saying. The mutineers were reportedly camped at the military base until late Saturday, while the presidential guard secured the presidential palace and was deployed to regain control of the base.
Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Centre, said loyalist forces had regained the "upper hand at least at the airport (and base)". However, he noted that some forces were still moving towards the capital and it was not clear whether they were coming to support the mutiny or the junta.
The mutiny is the third time this year that the strategic air base has been attacked, following two earlier assaults by jihadist rebels. It comes as Niger's military junta, which seized power in a 2023 coup, has struggled to stem militant violence and the rampant killing of security forces, fuelling unrest within the military. Since the coup, Niger has severed ties with longtime Western security partners and turned instead to Russia for support.
In response to the failed mutiny, the ruling military council, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, called for unity in a Facebook post: "Our Defence and Security Forces are mobilised for the Defence of the Fatherland. Let us remain united, vigilant and supportive". Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed its "full solidarity and firm support" for Niger.
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