Niger's government has formally accused France of orchestrating an attack on a key military airbase carried out by mutinous soldiers last week, escala
Niger’s government has formally accused France of orchestrating an attack on a key military airbase carried out by mutinous soldiers last week, escalating tensions between Niamey and its former colonial power.
In a statement read on national television on Friday, the Council of Ministers concluded that the assault had been incited by a broad network of accomplices led by France.
The mutinous soldiers attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, on August 29, in what marked the latest threat to the rule of Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a 2023 coup.
Explosions and gunfire also erupted at the military airbase during the attack, though Niger’s army, backed by Russian paramilitary forces, regained control of the facility the following day.
According to the government’s account, a substantial body of evidence has been compiled regarding the attack, and Niger has reserved the right to bring the matter before international courts.
The authorities did not immediately release details of the alleged evidence implicating France.
The accusation is the latest in a long string of confrontations between Niamey and Paris since the 2023 coup, which ended decades of French military and political influence in the country and pushed the junta toward closer security ties with Russia.
France has previously and consistently denied similar allegations of destabilisation efforts, and Paris had not issued a public response to the latest claim at the time of writing.
The episode underscores the deepening rift between the two countries and points to persistent instability within Niger’s armed forces even as the junta tightens its grip on power.
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