Niger Accuses France of Inciting Soldiers to Mutiny and Threatens to Take the Case to International Courts
Niger has accused France of inciting military personnel to stage a mutiny and has threatened to refer the matter to “international courts.”
A government statement broadcast on a Nigerien television channel on Friday said that France had been accused of encouraging mutinous soldiers to launch an attack targeting a military air base in Niamey.
Mutinous soldiers had attacked the airport and the presidential headquarters in the capital, Niamey, on August 29. Explosions were heard and gunfire erupted at a military air base, but the Nigerien army regained control of the facility the following day with the support of Russian paramilitary forces.
In a statement, Niger’s Council of Ministers said that a vast network of accomplices led by France had incited the attack.
The statement added: “We have gathered a substantial amount of evidence concerning this attack, and Niger reserves the right to refer the matter to international courts.”
France had not responded to the accusations as of 4 a.m. on Sunday.
General Abdourahamane Tiani has led Niger since the coup that took place in July 2023. The ruling military authorities have turned away from their traditional ally, France, and moved closer, particularly, to Russia.
Russia’s ambassador to Niamey, Viktor Vorobyev, had previously stated that Niger had requested assistance from the “Africa Corps” group in order to “suppress the mutiny,” according to remarks reported by the Russian news agency Sputnik.
Members of the Africa Corps are stationed at Base 101.
Niamey Airport had already been targeted by two attacks this year. The first was carried out by the Islamic State organization in January, while the second was launched by Al-Qaeda last June and resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers and two civilians.
The airport is considered a strategic target. Between last December and January, a large quantity of uranium concentrate produced by Niger was held there pending export. No movement of the shipment has been observed since then, according to Agence France-Presse.
Since the middle of the previous decade, Niger has been facing terrorist groups that are also active in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali.
The three countries, all governed by military authorities, formed the Alliance of Sahel States and moved closer to Russia after severing their alliance with France, which had previously been their main partner in the fight against terrorist groups.
