Conflict · Niger air base retakeLoyalists reportedly retake Niger air base after mutinyAired August 30, 2026 at 6:15 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00In Niger, Loyalist forces are reported to have retaken a strategic airbase after0:04mutinous soldiers held the airport complex through much of Saturday.0:08Diplomatic and security sources told AFP and RFI that the Presidential Guard0:12recaptured Air Force Base 101 by Saturday evening with help from Russia's Afrika0:16Corps.0:16That account has not been independently verified.0:19The junta says the uprising was contained.0:21The mutiny began shortly after midnight when soldiers reportedly confined other0:24troops at base 101.0:26They then attacked the Diori-Hamani International Airport complex and fired towards0:30sensitive sites in Niamey's Plateau District, including the Presidential Palace0:34area.0:34Heavy gunfire and explosions continued into the morning.0:37Reuters sources said loyalists had secured the palace area by about 900 GMT, while0:42the airport remained contested.0:44State broadcaster Telly Sahel also went off air for roughly an hour before returning0:49around 10 a.m.0:50local time.0:50Defense Minister Gen Salifo Modi said government forces were progressively regaining0:55control.0:56Russia's ambassador later said Nigerian commanders had requested Afrika Corps1:00assistance.1:01Base 101 is especially important because it reportedly hosts both the Afrika Corps1:05headquarters in Niemeh and the command of the Alliance of Sahel States' joint force.1:10The mutiny had the characteristics of an apparent failed coup attempt, but major1:14questions remain.1:15Funta leader Gen Abdurahmane Tiani had not appeared publicly in the cited reporting,1:20and neither the mutiny's leaders nor a reliable casualty count had been identified.1:25Even if loyalists now hold the base, the day-long battle exposed a serious armed1:30split inside the forces sustaining Niger's military government.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗