Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|ExplainerNiger’s military-led government says it contained mutiny: What next? The mutiny began at a military base in Niamey and spread near the presidential palace and state broadcaster.
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Exército do Níger afirma que está recuperando o controle após tentativa de motim.
Uma base militar no Aeroporto Internacional Diori Hamani foi alvo pela primeira vez no sábado por soldados renegados, seguida de ataques na emissora estatal e no palácio presidencial.
State TV said security forces gradually regained control, while dozens of rebel soldiers were reportedly killed or arrested.
A rebelião é mais um golpe para a liderança militar do Níger, que não conseguiu trazer estabilidade ao país desde que assumiu em um golpe há três anos. Desde então, o dirigente militar e presidente General Abdourahamane Tchiani tem afastado o país do Ocidente, incluindo seu antigo governante colonial, a França.
He has forged close security ties with Russia in efforts to tackle the growing threat from armed groups, but that has not deterred fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) from mounting attacks.
So what happened, who was behind the mutiny and what does it mean for Niger’s military government.
The attacks started shortly after midnight on Saturday at Base 101, a major military facility inside Niamey’s international airport complex previously used by US forces.
General Salifou Mody, Niger’s defence minister, said a group of soldiers detained some of their comrades and opened fire at “certain sensitive sites” in the capital.
The fighting lasted for several hours, during which the state broadcaster was temporarily taken off air, while gunfire and explosions were reported around the airport and presidential palace.
Autoridades disseram que as forças de segurança responderam rapidamente e ajudaram a retomar o controle. O conselho militar dominante, conhecido como National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, pediu que as pessoas permaneçam calmas.
By late Saturday, military authorities and state TV said the mutiny had been contained. Dozens of soldiers had been killed or arrested. Africa Corps, the Kremlin-backed force, received a request for assistance in neutralising the mutineers in the capital, said Viktor Voropaev, the Russian ambassador to Niger, in an interview with TASS news agency on Saturday.
Africa Corps is a Russian state-controlled paramilitary organisation established by the Russian Ministry of Defence, replacing and absorbing the African operations of the privately -run Russian militia, the Wagner Group.
The whereabouts of military leader Tchiani have not been confirmed.
Base 101 houses the general staff of the unified force of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The AES was established in 2023 to combat armed rebellion in the Sahel region.
Ele também abriga a sede do Africa Corps, que apoia os estados do Sahel no combate a grupos armados.
Quem eram os soldados renegados por trás da rebelião
The mutineers appear to have included young soldiers from areas outside Niamey, particularly the southwest of Niger.
Reuters news agency reported that the operation involved soldiers from Ouallam, Tera and Dosso, citing analysts and security officials. Troops from those areas have suffered heavy losses fighting armed groups, particularly the regional ISIL affiliate.
O tamanho exato da força mutante, e quem liderou a rebelião, não ficou claro imediatamente. Mas analistas disseram que o envolvimento de tropas de linha de frente aponta para uma crescente frustração dentro do exército.
July 2023 – Niger’s military government seized power in a coup, saying the elected government had failed to contain armed groups.
August 2023: Regional bloc ECOWAS imposes sanctions and threatens military intervention; Tchiani proposes a three-year transition.
Setembro de 2023: Níger, Mali e Burkina Faso estabelecem a Aliança dos Estados do Sahel (AES). A França concorda em retirar seu embaixador e 1. 500 tropas.
January 2024: Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announce their withdrawal from ECOWAS.
June 2024: An attack in western Niger kills 20 soldiers and a civilian, one of the deadliest assaults on the military since the coup.
September 2024: Niger suspends its military pact with the US. Washington subsequently withdraws its troops and closes its two bases – Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 near the northern city of Agadez.
October 2025: Kevin Rideout, a pilot with the evangelical missionary agency SIM International, was abducted in Niamey.
January 2026: ISIL claims responsibility for an attack on an air force base at Niger’s Diori Hamani International Airport and the adjoining military base in Niamey.
June 2026: An armed attack on Niamey airport kills 11 soldiers and two civilians.
August 29, 2026: Soldiers mutiny at Niamey’s Base 101, with gunfire around the airport, presidential palace and other sensitive sites.
Niger’s military invoked increasing armed violence to seize power in the 2023 coup. It accused the elected government of failing to quash armed rebellion.
No entanto, três anos depois, grupos armados permanecem uma ameaça significativa – combatentes afiliados à al‑queda e ao ISIL continuam a realizar ataques.
O governo militar fortaleceu seus laços com a Rússia enquanto o Níger pediu à França e aos EUA que retirassem suas tropas. O Níger também se juntou ao Burkina Faso e ao Mali na AES para montar uma luta unida contra grupos armados.
Nevertheless, the shift has not stopped unrest. The repeated attacks and heavy military casualties have fuelled frustration among frontline troops.
ACLED’s Nsaibia described the mutiny as a sign of a wider problem.
What has been the response of the international community.
The AES expressed support for Niger’s military leadership, saying in a statement that the mutineers had been “contained and thwarted”, calling the mutiny a “betrayal by a group of soldiers involved in a destabilisation plot”.
Não estava claro se Mali ou Burkina Faso ofereceram assistência militar direta ao seu aliado.
Algeria condemned the events and expressed its “full solidarity and firm support” for Niger.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry called for restraint and posted on X that it hoped “calm would be restored as soon as possible” while pledging to continue supporting Niger.
Por que o ataque aconteceu e o que vem a seguir
The mutiny “speaks of deeper institutional and structural challenges within the military”, Kabir Adamu, an Abuja-based security expert, told Al Jazeera.
Há um argumento de que “pessoas que receberam treinamento significativo, tanto dentro quanto fora [o militar] agora ocupam posições políticas e não estão na linha de frente onde são necessárias para enfrentar os complexos desafios de segurança que o país enfrenta”, ele disse.
Há também questões de equipamentos, repositório e rotação das forças militares.
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