Civil society groups marched in solidarity with Niger’s military government on Sunday, August 30, after the army suppressed a mutiny overnight at the country’s main air base in the capital, Niamey, restoring normalcy by Saturday morning.

Gunfire and explosions were also heard at some sensitive military sites in Niamey after the mutiny began around 20 minutes past midnight, with a group of soldiers confining other soldiers to their barracks and holding them hostage in the military base 101.

The base is located in the compound of the Diori Hamani International Airport, about a kilometer away from civilian infrastructure. However, the airport itself was not affected, and flights continued normally, the director general of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) said.

TV and radio broadcasts were interrupted, but resumed by 10 am. “The prompt reaction of the defense and security forces made it possible to contain this unrest and gradually regain control of these sites,” Defense Minister Salifou Modi said in a statement broadcast on state television.

“Vehicular traffic was normal by morning. People went to work. Shops, businesses, and schools were open. Even civil service exams scheduled for the day went ahead as planned,” said Aboubakar Alassane, a leader of the West Africa Peoples Organization (WAPO).

Several mutinous soldiers were arrested later in the day. Authorities are reportedly on the hunt for Lieutenant Moutari Yahaya, who is on the run after alleged involvement in the mutiny.

“Some who had escaped from base 101 after the failure of the mutiny were hiding in the neighboring residential areas. However, residents mobilized to catch them and hand them over to the military authorities,” said Abdullahi Salifou, deputy secretary of the Convergence for the Sovereignty of Sahelian Nations (COSNAS).

Emerging from mass protests against the continued domination of Niger by its former colonizer France, COSNAS was formed after the regime of Mohamed Bazoum, widely perceived in the country as a puppet of France, was overthrown in a popular military coup in 2023.

Read more: Thousands rally in support of Niger’s coup leaders as Western-backed ECOWAS threatens military intervention

The subsequent military government, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, which expelled the French troops from the country, has since repeatedly accused France of attempting to destabilize the country using terror groups.

Other members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Mali and Burkina Faso, which had also expelled French troops under similar circumstances, have also made the same accusation.

Read more: France is a state sponsor of terror, AES countries declare

However, Alassane said, it is unlikely that France engineered this mutiny. “I don’t think it was a coup attempt, because there was no attack on the Presidential Palace, which would have been the target if the rebelling soldiers had tried to take power. There was no heavy barricading outside the Presidential Palace when I passed nearby the next day. Base 101 is seven kilometers away.”

He opined that this mutiny, which was limited to this base and a few other sites, was provoked by discontent among a section of soldiers caused by the harsh conditions of life and work imposed by the constant struggle against terror groups allegedly backed by France.

Read more: 13 killed in terror attack on airport, Niger’s defense ministry alleges participation of France-backed mercenaries

“Supporters of Bazoum’s regime residing in France are spreading on social media” an interpretation of this mutiny as a generational rift within the army, with the younger officers rebelling against their seniors. “But that is not true,” said Alassane, arguing that the military in Niger is a generational profession. “Most young officers are sons and grandsons of generals, colonels – many of them still serving.”

Calling “on the people of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to remain vigilant against disinformation campaigns, manipulation of opinion and attempts at division”, the AES reaffirmed its determination to preserve “the unity, cohesion and stability of the confederal space.”

Its statement praised the “bravery and professionalism” with which “the loyalist republican forces” of Niger had acted to contain the mutiny quickly.

Niger’s northern neighbor, Algeria, with which it had reset diplomatic relations earlier this year after previous tensions, also condemned the mutiny as “highly regrettable.” It said in a statement that “as soon as it became aware of these events, Algeria assured the highest authorities of Niger of its full solidarity and firm support, with a view to overcoming this ordeal and promoting a rapid return to stability in this brotherly country.” Later, Algeria deployed four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets to Niger to support the Nigerian Armed Forces against “the attempt to destabilize the fraternal country of Niger.”

Read more: Algeria provides Niger with helicopters and military equipment as bilateral ties improve

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