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

What the report says

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his government sent fighter jets to Niger in late August to help stop what he described as a coup attempt in Niamey, according to excerpts from an interview broadcast before its full release. Al Jazeera reported that Tebboune framed the move as a response to a serious security threat and said some parties had gone too far, without identifying who he meant.

The unrest in Niger broke out overnight on August 28-29, when gunfire and explosions were reported in the capital. According to the article, mutineers targeted a military base at Diori Hamani International Airport, then the state broadcaster and the presidential palace. Niger’s defence minister said security forces contained the situation and gradually restored control.

Algeria’s defence ministry said on August 30 that it had deployed four fighter jets — two patrols of Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft, along with an air-to-air refuelling plane — at the request of Nigerien authorities. The ministry said the mission was meant to support Niger’s army against destabilisation.

The report says Algeria and Niger have close security ties and share a long border, making stability in the Sahel region important to Algiers. It also noted that Niger’s military government later accused France of involvement in the failed mutiny, which Paris denied.