Niger Accuses France of Backing Failed Mutiny

The Council of Ministers made the accusation following a meeting chaired by Nigerien transitional leader Abdourahamane Tiani on Friday.

It described the unrest as an operation with “international ramifications,” allegedly supported by a network of collaborators headed by the “French regime.”

The military-led government said “treacherous and renegade elements” had been tasked with fulfilling what it called the “unfulfilled ambitions” of Macron and his allies to destabilize Niger and undermine its efforts to assert sovereignty over its natural resources.

Niger said it had compiled “substantial documentation” concerning what it described as foreign aggression and reserved the right to initiate proceedings before international courts.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot rejected the accusation on Saturday as “pure fantasy.” Speaking to RFI, Barrot said Paris had “neither the intention nor the means” to organize such an operation.

The mutiny began on the night of August 28, when soldiers from the Special Intelligence Battalion launched an uprising at Air Base 101, located within Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.

Niger’s Defense Ministry said the soldiers detained fellow troops and opened fire on sensitive sites before advancing toward the presidential palace.

The mutineers were repelled by the Presidential Guard, while government forces, assisted by Russia’s Africa Corps, moved to suppress the uprising.

Three Presidential Guard soldiers were killed during the clashes, according to an official statement.

The failed mutiny comes as Niger’s military-led government continues to distance itself from France and assert greater control over the country’s security and natural resources.