Russia’s Africa Corps emerges key actor as Niger repels coup attempt at base linked to 1,000 tonnes of uranium

Niger turned to Russia’s Africa Corps for assistance after an attempted mutiny at a strategically important military base in the capital, highlighting the growing role of Moscow in the country’s security architecture.

The attempted uprising unfolded overnight between August 28 and 29, when a group of Nigerien military personnel reportedly tried to confine fellow soldiers to their barracks at Air Base 101, located at Niamey International Airport.

The mutineers also opened fire at several strategic facilities in the capital.

Nigerien security forces subsequently regained control of the affected facilities, according to Defence Minister Salifou Modi, while the Niger Press Agency reported that normal activity was gradually returning to Niamey.

Russia’s ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropayev, said the command of Air Base 101 requested assistance from Russian military personnel. He later said Nigerien military commanders visited the Russian Africa Corps base and thanked its personnel for helping suppress the rebellion.

The Russian diplomat said the mutiny involved young officers and suggested that external forces could have been involved, although Nigerien authorities have not publicly established who was behind the attempted uprising.

The location of the incident makes the crisis particularly significant.

Air Base 101 sits at Niamey’s international airport and is one of the capital’s key military installations.

It is also reportedly holding around 1,000 tonnes of uranium concentrate, known as yellowcake, following Niger’s escalating dispute with French nuclear company Orano over the country’s uranium industry.

The uranium stockpile has become one of the most visible symbols of Niger’s struggle to take greater control of its mineral resources after the military takeover.

The incident therefore combines security, political stability and control of a strategically important mineral resource in one location.

The reliance on Russia’s Africa Corps is the latest development in Niger’s dramatic foreign-policy shift since Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in July 2023.

Tchiani overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023, before becoming head of the transitional government. The junta subsequently forced the withdrawal of French troops, pushed out US forces and deepened security ties with Russia.

In April 2024, Russian Africa Corps personnel arrived in Niger as Moscow expanded its military relationship with the junta. Niger later joined Mali and Burkina Faso in withdrawing from ECOWAS, while Tchiani formally consolidated his position as transitional president in March 2025.

Niger’s military leadership thanked Russia’s Africa Corps for helping suppress the attempted mutiny in Niamey, Russian Ambassador Viktor Voropayev told TASS.

The chiefs of the General Staff and Ground Forces, along with the commander of Air Base 101, visited the Africa Corps base and “expressed gratitude to its servicemen for their assistance in suppressing the rebellion.”

The latest mutiny shows how far that realignment has gone: when an attempted uprising struck a major military facility in Niamey, Niger’s security command sought assistance from Russian forces already stationed in the capital.