Russia's Africa Corps helped put down Niger mutiny, envoy says

Russia's Africa Corps helped Niger's ruling junta suppress a mutiny by soldiers in the West African country, Russia's ambassador to Niger has said.

The junta asked the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force for assistance, Ambassador Viktor Voropayev told Russia's state-run TASS news agency at the weekend.

He provided no further details about the Africa Corps' involvement in putting down the mutiny. The force is the successor to the Wagner mercenary group.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Niger's national security forces had since regained full control.

According to Voropayev, the mutinous soldiers had also attempted to enter the Bravia Hotel in the capital Niamey, where Russian embassy staff were staying.

Members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a mutual defence grouping comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, were also staying at the hotel, he said.

Niger's government led by General Abdourahamane Tiani has forged close ties with Russia, which provides the junta with military equipment, training and political backing.

Resource-rich Niger, with its large uranium deposits, is also of strategic importance to Moscow.

Mutinous soldiers attacked military bases at the international airport in the capital Niamey and the presidential palace early Saturday.

Gunfire and explosions could be heard across the capital for hours, while power supplies were disrupted in several parts of the city. The mutineers also temporarily seized the headquarters of the state television broadcaster.

By Saturday evening, however, the military government had contained the uprising and was gradually regaining control, Niger's Defence Ministry said.

Niger, a landlocked country of around 28 million people, is one of the poorest nations in the world.

The military seized power in a coup in July 2023. Tiani, who led the takeover, has since been declared president without an election.