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Paris has dismissed the allegation as “pure fantasy,” saying it has neither the intention nor the means to orchestrate the unrest
Niger has accused French President Emmanuel Macron’s government of inciting and supporting a failed mutiny by soldiers in the capital, Niamey, late last month and threatened possible international legal proceedings.
The Council of Ministers made the allegation following a meeting chaired by Nigerien transitional leader Abdourahamane Tiani on Friday. It described the unrest as an operation with “international ramifications” sustained by a network of collaborators headed by the “French regime.”
The military-led government said “treacherous and renegade elements, promised the moon and the stars, were tasked with carrying out the unfulfilled ambitions of Macron and his cronies” to destabilize the country and undermine its efforts to assert sovereignty over its natural resources. It said “substantial documentation on this aggression has been compiled, and Niger reserves the right to initiate proceedings before international courts.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot rejected the accusation on Saturday as “pure fantasy.” He told RFI that Paris has “neither the intention nor the means” to organize such an operation.
Soldiers from the Special Intelligence Battalion launched a mutiny at Air Base 101, located within Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, on the night of August 28. The country’s Defense Ministry said they detained fellow soldiers and opened fire on sensitive sites before advancing on the presidential palace, but were repelled by the Presidential Guard. The authorities said loyalist forces, assisted by Russia’s Africa Corps, suppressed the uprising. Three Presidential Guard soldiers were killed during the clashes, according to an official press release.
In a statement on Friday, the transitional government thanked “friendly countries,” particularly Russia, Algeria and fellow members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) group, for demonstrating solidarity with Niger from the outset of the unrest. Algeria also sent fighter, transport and refueling aircraft to Niamey after the uprising.
Niger and its AES allies Burkina Faso and Mali have repeatedly accused France of seeking to destabilize their countries and supporting armed groups behind a deadly jihadist insurgency in the Sahel. Paris has denied the allegations.
Sahel coups and French retreat from Africa
Since 2020, a wave of military coups has reshaped politics across the Sahel region in Africa, toppling civilian governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
France, once the region’s dominant external power, has steadily lost influence amid rising anti-French sentiment and deep frustration over insecurity, economic stagnation, and foreign interference. The former colonial power was forced to withdraw troops from Mali in 2022, Burkina Faso in 2023, Niger later that year, and Chad in early 2025.
About 4,500 soldiers had been deployed under Operation Barkhane, France’s largest overseas mission, across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad – a campaign that the military governments in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have said only permitted Islamist insurgents to expand their activities.
The three West African states have established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and withdrawn from the International Organization of Francophone Nations (OIF) operating in Francophone countries, many of them former French colonies. The AES has forged new alliances, including with Russia, which its leaders hail as a more reliable economic and security partner.
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