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Niger Military Junta Reports Failed Mutiny in Capital

evening · · thread: Gunfire and Explosions Reported Near Presidential Palace and Airport in Niger's Capital

10 sources across 9 countries

Who reported this

  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • The Africa Report France · Centre · Jeune Afrique Media Group
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • Premium Times Nigeria · Centre · Premium Times Services Ltd
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Business Day South Africa · Centre-right · Arena Holdings (Lebashe Investment Group)
  • Financial Times United Kingdom · Centre · Nikkei Inc.
  • Associated Press United States · Centre · Non-profit news cooperative

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Niger's Ministry of National Defense announced on Saturday that a group of soldiers attempted a mutiny in the capital city of Niamey. The defense minister, General Salifou Mody, stated that soldiers in rupture with military regulations targeted sensitive sites and took fellow soldiers hostage at Base 101, a military air base located within the Diori Hamani International Airport complex. Other reports indicate that the insurgents attempted to storm the presidential palace but were repelled by the presidential guard. The military junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, stated that security forces have gradually regained control of the situation.

Gunfire and explosions were reported by residents and witnesses starting around 1 a.m. local time and continuing into the morning. The violence was concentrated around the airport, the presidential palace, and the national television broadcaster. The signal for state television, Tele Sahel, was cut for approximately one hour before being restored around 10 a.m. local time. Some sources report that the attackers included soldiers from the localities of Ouallam, Tera, and Dosso, who have recently suffered heavy casualties in battles against insurgents.

There is disagreement among sources regarding the nature of the attack. While the government and some security sources describe the event as a mutiny or a coup attempt by soldiers, other analysts and reports suggest the possibility of a jihadist attack. Niamey's airport and Base 101 have been targeted twice already this year by the Islamic State in the Sahel and the al Qaeda affiliate JNIM. Base 101 is a high value target because it houses the headquarters of the Russian Africa Corps and the command of the Alliance of Sahel States, a confederation consisting of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the government's claim of regaining control and the specific details of the soldiers' rupture with regulations.
Centre
These outlets focused on the factual sequence of events and the strategic importance of Base 101.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the struggle of the junta to contain violence and the specific military units involved in the unrest.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.