Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger to thwart ‘coup attempt’, president says

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says Algiers deployed warplanes to Niamey successful precocious August pursuing an onslaught by mutineers.

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said that his state sent combatant jets to Niger successful precocious August to assistance thwart a “coup attempt” that shook the capital, Niamey.

The confirmation came successful excerpts from Tebboune’s interrogation with section media outlets that was broadcast connected Saturday up of its afloat release.

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Tebboune said that the warplanes were sent due to the fact that immoderate parties had “gone excessively far”.

He added that Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, had been visiting Algeria and returned location astatine nighttime conscionable earlier the mutiny.

“For evident reasons, this is simply a provocation against america … and I excessively volition nonstop planes and we’ll conscionable head-on,” Tebboune said.

He did not specify who helium meant erstwhile helium said immoderate had gone excessively far, oregon whether helium was referring to interior oregon outer actors.

Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard successful Niamey overnight connected August 28 into August 29.

A subject basal astatine Diori Hamani International Airport was archetypal targeted by renegade soldiers, followed by attacks connected the authorities broadcaster and statesmanlike palace.

A subject armoured conveyance connected the thoroughfare successful Niamey pursuing the onslaught by mutineers connected the airdrome and presidency connected August 30, 2026 [File: Reuters]

Niger’s Minister of Defence, General Salifou Modi, announced astatine the clip that a radical of subject unit attempted to detain a fig of their colleagues astatine Air Base 101, and opened occurrence connected strategical locations successful the capital.

Security forces had intervened and managed to incorporate the situation, gradually regaining power implicit the targeted locations, helium added.

On August 30 , the Algerian Ministry of Defence said it had sent 4 combatant jets to Niger pursuing unrest. It said 2 patrols of 4 Sukhoi Su-30 craft had landed astatine Niamey airport, accompanied by an air-to-air refuelling plane.

The warplanes were deployed astatine the petition of Nigerien authorities connected “a ngo to enactment the Nigerien service successful confronting an effort to destabilise the brotherly authorities of Niger,”  the ministry added then.

Niger’s subject authorities past period accused France of orchestrating the failed mutiny, but France denied immoderate engagement successful the events successful its erstwhile colony.

Algeria and Niger stock adjacent information and subject ties, arsenic good arsenic a agelong onshore border, with Algeria viewing the stableness of the Sahel portion arsenic an indispensable constituent of its nationalist security.

Niger’s Prime Minister Zeine met President Tebboune erstwhile helium visited Algeria connected August 26–27 arsenic the caput of a high-level ministerial delegation aimed astatine enhancing practice betwixt the 2 countries.