Tensions between Niger and its former colonial power have sharply escalated, with the head of the military junta that seized control in 2023 openly blaming France for a recent attack on the airport in Niamey. The junta leader lauded Russia for its military assistance in repelling the assault and directly accused the presidents of France, Bénin, and Côte d’Ivoire of being the “sponsors” of the attackers. According to the junta’s official account, the incident resulted in four soldiers being injured, while twenty assailants, including one alleged French national, were killed and others apprehended.
The events took place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. In a statement broadcast on state television, 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 a combined air and ground response.
“We congratulate all our defense and security forces… as well as our Russian partners who professionally defended their security sector,” declared the junta chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani. He continued with 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 prepare to listen to us in turn.”
Uranium and advanced equipment: a volatile mix
The identity of the perpetrators remains formally unconfirmed. However, the Niamey airport is a highly strategic location. It is home to a Nigerien air force base, a recently constructed drone facility, and the headquarters of the Unified Force established by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to combat jihadist groups destabilizing the region. Perhaps most significantly, the site also stores a large shipment of uranium, a key export for Niger. This stockpile, estimated at over 1,000 tonnes, is at the heart of a major dispute with the French nuclear fuel giant Orano, which claims the Nigerien state has illegally expropriated it. Just last week, Orano reaffirmed 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 air-land response led to the neutralization of 20 mercenaries and the arrest of 11 others, the majority of whom are seriously wounded, as well as the recovery of significant war materials.” Despite these claims, several analysts providing Sahel analysis in English believe a jihadist attack is the most credible scenario. The country is grappling with violence from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in its western regions near the capital, as well as in the southeast. Nevertheless, as of Thursday evening, no jihadist organization had claimed responsibility for the assault.
