The relationship with Niger’s military junta, which seized control in 2023, is showing no signs of improvement. Following an attack on the airport in Niamey, the junta’s leader has lauded Russia for its military assistance while directly accusing the presidents of France, Bénin, and Côte d’Ivoire of being the “sponsors” of the assailants. According to the junta’s statement, the incident resulted in injuries to four soldiers, while twenty attackers, including an individual identified as “a Frenchman,” were killed and others were apprehended.
The events unfolded during the night between Wednesday and Thursday. In a broadcast on the state-run Télé Sahel, Niger’s Minister of Defense, General Salifou Modi, reported that a “group of remote-controlled mercenaries attacked Airbase 101 in Niamey” for approximately “thirty minutes” before being met with an “aero-terrestrial response.”
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the junta, stated, “We congratulate all the defense and security forces… as well as the Russian partners who defended their security sector with professionalism.” He added a direct warning: “We remind the sponsors of these mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, Alassane Ouattara: we have heard them barking enough, let them now prepare to listen to us.”
High-Stakes Location with Advanced Equipment and Uranium
The identity of the perpetrators has not been formally established. The Niamey airport is a highly strategic location, hosting a Nigerien air force base, a newly constructed drone base, and the headquarters of the unified military force created by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to combat jihadist groups destabilizing the region. Perhaps most significantly, the airport is also storing a substantial shipment of uranium, a key export for Niger’s economy. This stockpile of at least 1,000 tonnes is at the center of a dispute with the French nuclear fuel giant Orano, which accuses the Nigerien state of expropriation. Just last week, Orano reiterated its commitment to pursuing legal action against Niger and “anyone who would want to get their hands on” the uranium stock.
The Nigerien minister added that “the vigorous aero-terrestrial response led to the neutralization of 20 mercenaries and the arrest of 11 others, the majority of whom are seriously injured, as well as the recovery of significant war materials.” Despite these claims, many observers find the theory of a jihadist attack most plausible. The nation is grappling with violence from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), linked to Al Qaida, and the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in its western regions near the capital and in the southeast. However, as of Thursday evening, no jihadist organization had claimed responsibility for the assault.
