Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed in remarks broadcast on Saturday that his nation deployed fighter jets to Niger in late August in response to internal unrest in the West African country. Tebboune stated that the military intervention was warranted because certain parties had exceeded acceptable boundaries, though he did not elaborate on the identity of those responsible or whether they were domestic or foreign actors.
The incident unfolded over two nights at the end of August, when sustained gunfire and explosions erupted in Niamey. Renegade military personnel first attacked a facility at Diori Hamani International Airport before launching assaults on the state broadcaster and the presidential palace. Niger’s Defence Ministry characterized the events as an attempt by a group of military personnel to detain colleagues at Air Base 101. Security forces responded and gradually secured control over the affected areas.
Algeria’s Defence Ministry officially acknowledged the deployment on August 30, revealing that it had dispatched two patrols of Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft along with an air-to-air refuelling plane to Niamey airport. The ministry described the mission as a response to a request from Nigerien authorities to support efforts aimed at countering an attempt to destabilize Niger.
Tebboune noted that Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine had been visiting Algeria and returned home the night before the mutiny occurred. The prime minister had led a high-level ministerial delegation aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation during his August visit. Following the events, Niger’s military government attributed responsibility to France, a claim Paris denied.
Algeria and Niger maintain extensive security and military cooperation alongside a shared border. Algeria considers stability in the Sahel region integral to its own national security interests.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI