Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / Niger Regains Control of Airbase After Mutiny

Transcript

Niger Regains Control of Airbase After Mutiny · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: In Niamey, Niger's military junta has announced it has regained
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: control of a key airbase after a dramatic mutiny by
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: hundreds of soldiers, a confrontation that exposed deep divisions within
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the armed forces. The fighting, which erupted late Friday, shook
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: neighborhoods around Base 101, the capital's military airbase that shares
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: facilities with the civilian airport. According to state media, mutinous
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: soldiers fired on sensitive sites, including the presidential palace and
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: disrupted broadcasts from state television. Explosions and gunfire rattled the
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: city for hours, sending families into hiding. By Saturday evening,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: the junta declared the disturbance contained airing footage of surrendering
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: mutineers to reinforce its claim of restored control. Casualty figures
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: remain unclear, though reports suggest several mutineers were killed during
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: the recapture. the government has not confirmed whether loyalist forces
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: suffered losses. General Abdurrahman Tiani, who seized power in the
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: July 2023 coup, has not appeared publicly since the mutiny,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: fueling speculation about internal fractures. The unrest reflects mounting frustration
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: within the army, which has suffered heavy casualties in battles
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: against jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Earlier
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: this month, An Islamic State affiliate killed 18 soldiers in
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: southwest Niger, intensifying anger among rank-and-file troops. Units from Walam, Tara,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: and Daso, areas hardest hit by insurgent violence, were reportedly
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: involved in the mutiny. International attention has focused on the
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: role of foreign forces stationed at the base. Russian paramilitary
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: units from the Afrika Korps were reportedly asked to assist
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: in suppressing the mutiny, underscoring Niger's growing reliance on Moscow
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: since severing ties with Western partners. Italy also maintains a
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: presence at the airbase, raising concerns about the safety of
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: foreign personnel during the clashes. For civilians, the mutiny was terrifying.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Residents near the airport described homes shaking from gunfire, with
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: families hiding under beds as clashes raged. The incident has
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: heightened fears of instability in a country already struggling with
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: insurgency and economic hardship. Analysts warn that the mutiny highlights
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: the junta's fragile grip on power. While loyalist forces prevail
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: this time, the rebellion reveals cracks in military cohesion that
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: could embolden further dissent. Regional observers caution that Niger's crisis
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: has implications for the wider Sahel, where Kuzan Mali and
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Burkina Faso have already reshaped alliances and intensified instability. As
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: calm returns to Niamey, questions remain about how long the
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: junta can maintain control amid battlefield losses, internal divisions, and
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: growing reliance on foreign support. The mutiny may have been quelled,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: but the underlying tensions within Niger's armed forces are far
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: from resolved.