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Mutiny in Niger’s capital raises concerns as junta claims regained control
The clashes included attacks near the presidential palace and Tele Sahel, and rebel troops were reportedly holed up at an airbase near the airport after the fighting subsided.
Mutinying soldiers sparked armed clashes in Niamey on Saturday, alarming residents, though Niger’s ruling junta said it had largely regained control after hours of fighting, according to SCMP Economy citing reports from Agence France-Presse.
When the unrest began shortly after midnight, soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television station, Tele Sahel, which went off the air for just over an hour before service was restored around 10am.
The junta said it “gradually took back control” after clashes, while a security source said an attempted entry by insurgents from within the armed forces was pushed back by the presidential guard.
A security source and an African diplomatic source said the rebel troops were holed up at an airbase near the capital’s airport, and Niger’s defence minister said soldiers held some troops hostage at a barracks in Niamey and opened fire at “certain sensitive sites” without specifying which ones.