Agadir – Niger’s military-led government has accused France of orchestrating and supporting a failed military mutiny in the capital, Niamey, further straining relations between Niger and France.
The accusation was made in an official statement read on Nigerien state television on Friday, September 4, after the government’s Council of Ministers concluded that the August 29 mutiny had been driven by what it described as a “vast network” of accomplices allegedly led by France.
Niger said it had compiled documentation concerning the alleged operation and reserved the right to pursue legal action before international courts.
The statement, delivered by government spokesperson Soumana Boubacar, accused the administration of French President Emmanuel Macron of seeking to destabilize Niger and said soldiers involved in the mutiny had been encouraged to act against the country’s military authorities.
Niger has not publicly provided verified evidence establishing French involvement in the mutiny.
Mutiny erupted in Niamey
The allegations follow a serious security incident in Niamey on August 29, when mutinous soldiers attacked a military installation at Diori Hamani International Airport before violence spread to other sensitive locations in the capital.
The unrest also reached areas around the presidential palace and temporarily disrupted Niger’s state broadcaster. Nigerien forces eventually regained control of the military base after fighting that lasted into the following day.
Russian personnel from the Africa Corps assisted Nigerien government forces in suppressing the mutiny. According to Al Jazeera, Russia’s ambassador to Niger said authorities had requested the group’s assistance, while the Associated Press reported that Russian forces provided ground and aerial support.
France rejects accusations
Paris has firmly rejected Niamey’s allegations.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the claims as “pure fantasy” and told RFI on Saturday that France had neither the intention nor the means to organize such a mutiny.
“There never was any intention, nor means that France would have mobilised,” Barrot said. He accused Niger’s authorities of once again attempting to assign responsibility to France for actions in which Paris had no involvement.
