FRANCE DENIES NIGER MUTINY ROLE, SAYS CLAIM IS ‘PURE FANTASY’

Sun 06 September 2026:

Paris calls allegations “pure fantasy” as tensions deepen between the two countries

France has rejected Niger’s accusation that Paris helped provoke a mutiny during which soldiers attacked a military airbase and the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot dismissed the allegations on Saturday, one week after the August 29 assault and a day after Niger’s ruling military council met for the first time since the unrest.

“This operation, with its international ramifications, was instigated and sustained by a vast network of collusion headed by the French regime of Mr [Emmanuel] Macron,” Niger’s government spokesperson Soumana Boubacar said in a statement broadcast on television on Friday.

Niger has blamed France for inciting an attack on a key military airbase by mutinous soldiers last week.

Clashes at an airbase in the capital erupted during an attempted mutiny against the military junta that has ruled since 2023. pic.twitter.com/fQBJTAsuDU

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 5, 2026

“Traitorous and renegade elements, to whom promises of great things were made, were tasked with carrying out unfulfilled ambitions of Macron and his cronies in our country,” he claimed, adding that such “undermining manoeuvres will always fail”.

Barrot rejected the accusations in an interview with RFI radio.

“There never was any intention, nor means that France would have mobilised,” he said.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Fighting spread across Niamey

The mutiny began at Base 101, a military facility located inside Niamey’s international airport. Soldiers reportedly turned against their commanders and opened fire at several locations across the city.

The violence later spread to the presidential palace and temporarily forced the state broadcaster off the air. Niger’s army, assisted by Russian paramilitary fighters known as Africa Corps, recaptured the base the following day.

State media reported that hundreds of soldiers were involved, while dozens of people were killed or arrested.

During its latest meeting, Niger’s government also acknowledged for the first time that civilians had died in the violence.

Niger broadens accusations

Niger’s authorities have expanded their allegations beyond France, claiming that unnamed “African brothers” acted as intermediaries in the alleged plot.

State television later broadcast a video in which an air force captain accused Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast and the regional bloc ECOWAS of supporting the attack.

Benin has rejected the allegation. A government spokesperson said “no one in their right mind” believes the claim.

The accusations represent another escalation in relations between Niger and France, which deteriorated after General Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in a 2023 coup and turned to Russia for military support instead of France, the country’s former colonial ruler.

Security crisis fuels military frustration

Analysts say the mutiny was more likely driven by growing frustration among front-line soldiers who have suffered heavy losses fighting armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

The shift toward Russia has done little to halt attacks by the armed groups. Tchiani, who has not appeared publicly since the mutiny, has repeatedly blamed France and other West African countries for unrest without presenting evidence.

Analysts believe the accusations are intended primarily to influence public opinion inside Niger rather than support a legal case.

Relations with Paris have also deteriorated over Niger’s seizure of uranium assets belonging to the French nuclear company Orano.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22