Russia said it helped Niger’s military government quash a coup attempt late last month; its ambassador credited Moscow’s Africa Corps with neutralizing rebels.
In a viral video interview, Viktor Voropaïev said the Nigerien government requested assistance in quelling the mutiny, which lasted for hours between 28 and 29 August.
Sahel Alert quoted him as saying, “The rebels who organised these demonstrations have been neutralised, particularly thanks to the intervention of Africa Corps military personnel from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.”
Premium Times reported that mutinous soldiers had abandoned their frontline positions to fight presidential elite forces in what analysts described as an attempt to oust the military junta. The fighting disrupted state broadcast services in Niger.
The mutineers besieged Diori Hamani International Airport and Air Base 101, and attempted to breach the perimeter of the presidential palace, including key positions around the airport.
Analysts cited by the report said the rebellious soldiers were frustrated by worsening insecurity and the regime’s unfair treatment of frontline troops.
After hours of fighting, the mutineers were suppressed by a joint air-ground offensive launched by Nigerien elite forces and the Russian-backed Africa Corps.
The regime subsequently announced it remained in control, although the head of the junta, Abdourahamane Tchiani, had yet to make any public appearance or comment.
By Sunday morning, footage of captured mutineers was circulating online, with reports that some had been killed.
Niger has shifted its focus to Moscow as a strategic partner since cutting ties with France, its former colonial power. According to reports, about 300 Russian troops are on the ground in Niger.
Russia is gaining influence in Sahelian states where military authorities have seized power. In April, it helped the Malian government repel what could have been a more devastating jihadi attack in Bamako.
The Sahel region continues to see terror attacks by Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates.
Some analysts have warned that the recent uprising in Niger could open a window for terror, arguing that positions abandoned by the mutineers are prone to infiltration by jihadists.
Many countries, including junta-led Mali and Burkina Faso, with which the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) was formed, have stood in solidarity with Niger.
Source: allAfrica.com