A wave of heavy gunfire and explosions swept through Niger’s capital in the early hours of Saturday, as loyalist troops crushed a mutiny by renegade soldiers aiming to topple the country’s military rulers, multiple security sources have confirmed.
The violence began just past midnight, with sustained automatic weapons fire and at least three loud blasts echoing across the Plateau district, home to the presidential palace.
Witnesses described tracer rounds lighting up the night sky above the city centre, while armoured vehicles were seen racing through deserted streets toward the airport axis.
According military source, the attackers were active-duty personnel from outlying garrisons who had slipped into the capital under cover of darkness. Their objective, the source said, was to overrun the palace and seize control of state broadcasting facilities. But the presidential guard mounted a fierce defence, repelling the assault within hours.
“We have contained the threat,” the source said. “The ringleaders are either in custody or on the run. This was not a popular uprising—it was a mutiny by a handful of disgruntled elements.”
The most intense fighting occurred near Air Base 101, a strategic installation on the city’s southern edge that hosts Russian military advisors and serves as a logistics hub for the Alliance of Sahel States joint force. Local residents reported hearing sustained exchanges of heavy machine-gun fire from the base perimeter around 3:00 am, followed by a lull just before dawn.
Niger’s state television went off the air for roughly 90 minutes during the peak of the chaos, raising fears that the plotters had gained ground.
However, by 9:00 am local time, regular programming had resumed, and the military junta issued a brief statement urging citizens to go about their daily activities without panic.
“The defence and security forces remain fully mobilised. We ask the public to disregard false rumours and trust in the institutions,” the statement read.
On the ground, life remains tense but calm. Shops in the capital’s main commercial district stayed shuttered through the morning, and security checkpoints have been thrown up at major intersections. The international airport, while not officially closed, has seen all inbound flights diverted pending further notice.
This latest bid to seize power exposes the deep fault lines within Niger’s armed forces, nearly three years after General Abdourahamane Tiani himself took power in a coup.
Analysts say the regime’s failure to curb jihadist violence along the country’s borders has bred resentment among rank-and-file soldiers, some of whom blame the leadership for inadequate equipment and mounting casualties.
The junta has yet to name the alleged coup plotters or disclose how many have been arrested. However, military sources indicate that several mid-ranking officers are being interrogated, and that search operations are underway for others who may have fled the capital.
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