Niger junta regains control of airbase after mutiny, Russian forces intervene

Niger's capital, Niamey, appeared calm on Sunday after a day of unrest as mutinous soldiers staged an attack on a key military airbase and clashed with loyalist forces. The mutiny, which threatened the ruling military junta, was quelled with the intervention of Russia's Africa Corps.

The unrest began around midnight Friday into Saturday with gunfire and explosions at Diori Hamani International Airport, which hosts the military air base and Russia's Africa Corps headquarters. Gunfire was also heard near the presidential palace. The Defense Ministry stated its forces were gradually regaining control, and authorities later paraded dozens of arrested or killed mutineers on state television.

Analysts and diplomats suggested the unrest was triggered by grievances over the worsening security crisis, including rampant jihadi attacks, and soldiers' welfare issues such as food rations and inadequate equipment. The military junta, which seized power in a 2023 coup, had promised to stabilize the country, but security has deteriorated.

Russia's Africa Corps, believed to have 200 to 300 personnel in Niger, intervened with ground and aerial support after being requested by the Nigerien government. Moscow's ambassador to Niger stated that the mutineers were "neutralized particularly thanks to the intervention" of the Africa Corps, which outnumbered the elite presidential guard deployed to retake the air base.