Niger’s military ruler accused France, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire of sponsoring an attack on the country’s international airport — without providing any evidence.
Suspected jihadists launched the assault early on Thursday and Bloomberg reported that it happened near a major uranium stockpile. Twenty attackers were killed and four military personnel injured, according to Niger’s defense ministry, before normal services resumed at the airport in the morning.
Speaking on state television, junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani vowed to retaliate in comments that underscored Niger’s deteriorating relationship with its former French colonizer and those it views as French proxies: “We have heard them bark, they should be ready to hear us roar,” he warned. He also thanked Russian troops stationed at the air base for “defending their sector.”
Niger has embraced ties with Moscow since the 2023 coup that brought Tiani to power and ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who remains detained at the presidential palace in Niamey. Niger’s pivot away from France dealt a blow to Paris, which used Niamey’s vast uranium deposits to run its nuclear power plants.