Algeria says it sent fighter jets to Niger after reported mutiny

Algeria deployed fighter jets to Niger after a reported mutiny in the capital, Niamey, according to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Tebboune said the aircraft were sent in late August after renegade soldiers attacked strategic sites in Niamey. He described the incident as a coup attempt, although the available account does not independently establish that characterization.

Algeria’s Ministry of Defence announced the deployment on August 30, saying the aircraft had been sent at the request of Nigerien authorities to support the Nigerien army in confronting an attempt to destabilise the country.

Attacks reported in Niamey

Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard in Niamey overnight from August 28 into August 29. A military base at Diori Hamani International Airport was initially targeted, followed by attacks on the state broadcaster and the presidential palace.

Salifou Modi, Niger’s Minister of Defence and a general, said military personnel had tried to detain colleagues at Air Base 101 before opening fire on strategic locations in the capital.

According to Modi, Nigerien security forces intervened, contained the situation and gradually regained control of the targeted sites.

Algerian deployment

The Algerian Ministry of Defence said four fighter jets were sent to Niger. It described the mission as support for Niger’s army and said the aircraft were accompanied by an air-to-air refuelling plane. The ministry also reported that two patrols of Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft landed at Niamey airport.

The precise operational role of the Algerian aircraft after their arrival has not been specified.

Tebboune said the warplanes were sent because some parties had “gone too far”. He did not identify who he was referring to, and it remains unclear whether he meant internal or external actors.

“For obvious reasons, this is a provocation against us … and I too will send planes and we’ll meet head-on,” Tebboune said in describing the circumstances surrounding the deployment.

Regional security concerns

The deployment came shortly after Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine visited Algeria from August 26 to 27 at the head of a high-level ministerial delegation. The visit was intended to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, and Zeine met Tebboune during the trip.

Algeria and Niger maintain close security and military ties and share a long land border. Algeria has also described stability in the Sahel as an important part of its national security.

Niger’s military government accused France of orchestrating the failed mutiny. France denied involvement, and the accusation has not been independently verified.