AFRICA/NIGER – No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on the airport, but the junta accuses the Presidents of France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of being the “instigators”

Niamey – According to an official report on the attack on Diori Hamani Airport in Niamey on the night of January 28-29 , at least 20 attackers were killed, 11 captured, and 4 Nigerian soldiers wounded. So far, neither of the two jihadist groups considered the main suspects – the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Sahel – has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The head of the military junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, 2023, General Abdourahamane Tiani, accused France, Benin, and Ivory Coast, and their respective presidents, of instigating the attack. “We remind the supporters of these mercenaries, including Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara: We have heard enough of their complaints; now they, too, must prepare to listen to us,” Tiani declared.
The head of the military junta, however, thanked Russia for its support of the local security forces in repelling the attack: “We congratulate all defense and security forces, as well as our Russian partners, who professionally defended the security area entrusted to them.” State television showed the bodies of the alleged attackers, among whom a Frenchman was reportedly found.
The attackers targeted the military wing of the airport, specifically Military Base 101, with mortars and possibly also drones. Satellite images show damage to the roofs of some military hangars. Meanwhile, at least 1,000 tons of uranium oxide are stored at Base 101. This is the subject of an international legal dispute between the French mining company Orano and the Nigerien authorities, who seized the mineral, which was extracted from the Arlit mine.
It is unclear whether the target was the uranium shipment awaiting delivery to an officially unnamed buyer, who, according to journalistic research, is believed to be Russia. Interestingly, according to some journalistic sources, the original export plan via Benin was halted after the failed coup attempt against President Patrice Talon on December 7 . Talon is now accused by the Nigerien authorities, along with his French and Ivorian counterparts, of being among the masterminds of the attack on the airport.

Read original article