By Our Correspondent
A Nigerien paratroop captain has accused officials linked to former President Mohamed Bazoum, as well as individuals and officers connected to Chad, France, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Belgium and Dubai, of supporting the failed military mutiny in Niamey.
Captain Roger Gabriel, commander of the 1st Parachute Battalion in the Nigerien capital, made the allegations in a televised statement on Tuesday evening.
Speaking on Radio Télévision du Niger (RTN), Gabriel said elements of the Bataillon des Forces Spéciales(BSR) units were involved in the uprising, which began on the night of August 28 and 29. He also named several officers he described as leaders of the mutiny.
According to Gabriel, he received telephone calls from Belgium and Dubai urging his company to support the mutineers.
He further alleged that plans were in place for French special forces to be deployed at Niamey airport to support the rebels.
In another claim, Gabriel said a Chadian counterpart contacted him twice and described an intervention from Chad, allegedly authorised by the Chadian authorities and involving foreign special forces, to support troops who had seized Air Base 101.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
Chad had not issued a detailed official response to the claims as of the time of the broadcast. However, President Mahamat Idriss Déby shared a Quranic verse on social media that was widely interpreted as an indirect response, while some Chadian military sources contacted by regional media denied the allegations.
How the mutiny unfolded
Gunfire and explosions were reported shortly after midnight around Diori Hamani International Airport and Air Base 101 before spreading towards the presidential palace, state media facilities and other strategic locations in Niamey.
Authorities described the incident as a mutiny involving soldiers who detained fellow personnel and opened fire on key sites. State media later reported that hundreds of disaffected troops participated in the action.
Loyalist forces, including members of the presidential guard, eventually regained control of the affected locations.
Several reports said Russia’s Africa Corps, which is already based around the airfield complex, provided ground and aerial support during the operation to end the standoff.
The military authorities said control had been restored, the airport reopened and normal activities gradually resumed in the capital within 24 hours.
Dozens of mutineers were reportedly killed or arrested, although the authorities have yet to release a comprehensive official casualty figure.
The incident represents the most serious internal military challenge to General Abdourahamane Tiani since the July 2023 coup that removed Bazoum from power.
Since the coup, Niger has strengthened ties with neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso under the Alliance of Sahel States, while expelling French forces and deepening its military relationship with Russia.
Gabriel’s statement on Tuesday is the first detailed public account by a named unit commander linking the mutiny to an alleged network involving domestic and foreign actors.
However, investigations announced by the authorities following the fighting have yet to produce publicly available evidence substantiating the allegations of foreign involvement.
The situation in Niamey remained calm as of Wednesday morning, September 2, with further official briefings and responses from the countries named in the allegations expected.
