Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger to stop a coup attempt, President Tebboune says
Tebboune called the August mutiny in Niamey a provocation against Algeria. The admission shows how far Algeria is willing to go to keep the Sahel stable.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has confirmed that his country sent fighter jets to Niger in late August to help stop a coup attempt. In an interview broadcast on Saturday, he described the mutiny as a provocation against Algeria.
For obvious reasons, this is a provocation against us… and I too will send planes and we’ll meet head-on. — Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of Algeria
What happened in Niamey
On the night of 28 to 29 August, renegade soldiers attacked Air Base 101 at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital. Gunfire and explosions were heard across the city, and the state broadcaster and presidential palace were targeted. Security forces contained the situation.
The Algerian warplanes were sent at the request of Niger’s authorities, Tebboune said. Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, had visited Algeria on 26 and 27 August, just before the mutiny. In September, Niger’s military government accused France of being behind the attempt. France denied it.
Why it matters
Algeria and Niger share a long land border and close security ties, and Algiers treats stability in the Sahel as a matter of its own national security. The region has seen a string of coups since 2020, and Russian security contractors have replaced Western forces in several countries. An Algerian military intervention, even a brief one, adds a new player.
Sources: Al Jazeera.
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