The military leadership in Niger, which seized control in 2023, has intensified its anti-French rhetoric following an assault on the airport in Niamey. The junta’s head has publicly accused France, alongside the presidents of Bénin and Côte d’Ivoire, of sponsoring the attack. In a televised statement, he also praised Russia for its military assistance during the response. According to the junta’s account, twenty assailants were killed, including an individual identified as a French national, while four of its soldiers were wounded.
The events unfolded during the night between Wednesday and Thursday. In a broadcast on the state television channel Télé Sahel, Niger’s Minister of Defense, General Salifou Modi, reported that a “group of remote-controlled mercenaries attacked Air Base 101 in Niamey” for about thirty minutes before being met with an “air-land response.”
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of the junta, commended the collective defense and security forces, as well as their “Russian partners who defended their security sector with professionalism.” He then issued a direct warning to the alleged backers of the mercenaries, specifically naming Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara.
Advanced equipment and uranium create a volatile situation
As of now, the identity of the attackers has not been formally established. The Niamey airport is a critical strategic point, housing not only a Nigerien air force base and a newly built drone facility but also the headquarters for the unified force established by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to fight jihadist groups. This latest event in Africa politics English-language media are watching is complicated by the presence of a significant uranium shipment. This stockpile, awaiting export, is central to a standoff with the French nuclear giant Orano, which accuses the Nigerien state of expropriation. Orano recently vowed to pursue legal action against Niger and “anyone who would want to get their hands” on the uranium stock, estimated at a minimum of 1,000 tonnes.
The Nigerien minister added that the “vigorous air-land response led to the neutralization of 20 mercenaries and the arrest of 11 others,” along with the recovery of “significant military equipment.” Despite these claims, several observers believe a jihadist attack is the most credible scenario. The country faces ongoing violence from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), linked to Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in its western regions near the capital. However, by Thursday evening, no jihadist group had claimed responsibility for the attack, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the incident.
