Mercenaries behind the assault were backed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Benin and Ivory Coast counterparts, the Sahel state’s leader has said
Niger’s transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has accused France and neighboring Benin and Ivory Coast of sponsoring a “cowardly attack” on the main international airport in the Sahel state’s capital early on Thursday.
Gunfire and explosions were reported near Diori Hamani International Airport around midnight before officials said the situation had been brought under control.
Some aircraft were reportedly damaged, but no serious civilian injuries were reported. Niger’s national broadcaster said a French national was among the suspects killed in the clashes and aired footage showing several bodies on the ground.
Speaking on state television after visiting Air Base 101, next to the airport in Niamey, Gen. Tchiani named French President Emmanuel Macron, Benin’s Patrice Talon, and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara as the alleged sponsors of the assault and vowed retaliation.
“We remind the sponsors of these mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara, that we have heard them bark long enough; they should now get ready, in turn, to hear us roar,” the military leader said.
He praised Nigerien defense and security forces, and Russian troops stationed at the base, for their “swift response” in repelling the attack. Russian forces have been deployed to the camp since 2024 after Niamey terminated a decade-old defense agreement with the US and demanded the withdrawal of roughly 1,000 American troops.
France, once the dominant external power in the Sahel, has steadily lost influence amid widespread frustration over insecurity, economic stagnation, and perceptions of foreign interference. Niger’s military leaders, along with their allies in Mali and Burkina Faso, have forced French troops to withdraw from their territories, where they had been deployed to combat jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Armed, economic and media terrorism: What is France doing in Africa?Read more Armed, economic and media terrorism: What is France doing in Africa?
The leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States have repeatedly accused Paris of failed counterinsurgency efforts and of seeking to undermine their governments by cooperating with rebel factions operating in border regions.
France, Benin, and Ivory Coast have yet to respond publicly to Tchiani’s latest accusations. Last June, Benin rejected similar claims that it was working with Western powers to harbor militants aimed at destabilizing Niger and the wider Sahel, calling the allegations “unfounded.”
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https://www.rt.com/africa/631749-niger-accuses-france-benin-ivory-coast-niamey-airport-attack/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
