Niger military mutiny: What we know as Russia’s Africa Corps helps suppress airbase uprising

Russia provided assistance to quell the uprising, which targeted several government sites, Moscow’s ambassador has said Nigerien forces have regained control of a strategic airbase in the capital, Niamey, after suppressing a military mutiny that triggered hours of gunfire near the presidential palace, the airport, and other government sites.

The unrest began overnight from Friday into Saturday at Air Base 101, located inside the Diori Hamani International Airport complex.

The Nigerien Defense Ministry initially described it as an internal “movement of discontent” involving soldiers who had broken military regulations.

Moscow’s ambassador to Niamey, Viktor Voropayev, later confirmed that Russia’s Africa Corps had helped Nigerien forces suppress the mutiny after the command of Air Base 101 requested assistance.

Read more WATCH Russian Africa Corps’ gunfight with Islamist militants (GRAPHIC VIDEO) How did the mutiny begin? A group of soldiers at Air Base 101 attempted to detain some of their fellow servicemen before firing at several “sensitive sites” in Niamey, Defense Minister General Salifou Mody said in a statement broadcast by state television.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were subsequently reported around the airport and the Plateau district, which contains the presidential palace, government ministries, and several major hotels.

The mutineers reportedly tried to advance on the presidential palace but were repelled by the presidential guard.

The signal of state broadcaster RTN was disrupted for more than an hour amid reports that soldiers had briefly entered the premises.

The Defense Ministry said the rapid deployment of the security forces had contained the uprising and allowed the authorities to begin recovering the affected positions.

Residents were urged to remain calm and continue their normal activities.

Air Base 101 is particularly important because it houses Nigerien aircraft, Russia’s Africa Corps personnel, and the headquarters of the joint force established by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

READ MORE: Foreign sponsors behind Niger airport attack – Sahel alliance The airport complex had already been targeted twice in 2026, including an Islamic State attack in January and an assault blamed on the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims in June.

How was the airbase retaken from the mutineers? Government forces regained control of Air Base 101 after the remaining mutineers surrendered or were dislodged late on Saturday, according to state media and several international news agencies.

Radio Television du Niger broadcast images of detained soldiers and reported that dozens of those involved had been killed or arrested.