Niger mutiny puts Russia’s expanding role in the Sahel to the test
- Niger’s military government has contained an attempted mutiny in the capital, but the uprising has exposed tensions inside an army struggling to contain persistent attacks by armed groups.
- It has also highlighted the changing nature of Niger’s security partnerships, with Russian personnel helping government forces contain the unrest.
- The mutiny began on Saturday at Base 101, a military installation at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, before fighting spread to other sensitive sites, including areas near the presidential palace and the state broadcaster.
Confirmed
- Niger’s military government has contained an attempted mutiny in the capital, but the uprising has exposed tensions inside an army struggling to contain persistent attacks by armed groups.
- It has also highlighted the changing nature of Niger’s security partnerships, with Russian personnel helping government forces contain the unrest.
- The mutiny began on Saturday at Base 101, a military installation at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, before fighting spread to other sensitive sites, including areas near the presidential palace and the state broadcaster.
Sources: Al Jazeera