Mutinous soldiers in Niger attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, early on Saturday, triggering hours of sustained gunfire and explosions and briefly knocking state television and radio off air.
By late morning, Niger’s defence ministry said the armed forces were progressively retaking control of sites targeted in the overnight attack, but security sources said mutineers were still present at the airport and the overall situation remained unclear.
The attack marked the latest threat to the rule of Abdourahamane Tiani. He had pledged to improve security in the Sahel nation, a major uranium producer, but jihadist attacks have persisted.
State television, after resuming broadcasts, aired a message saying mutinous soldiers from a base in Niamey had opened fire on “sensitive sites” in the city.
Security forces had reacted quickly and “contained this disturbance”, it said.
Earlier this year, affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State both carried out attacks on the civilian airport and military airbase, contributing to initial suspicion that militants could have been behind the assault on the capital.
