Niger’s ruling junta survived its gravest internal challenge since 2023, as a weekend mutiny shook the capital, Niamey.
Renegade soldiers seized a strategic military base and took hostages, briefly threatening the presidential palace nearby.
Russia’s Africa Corps mercenaries joined presidential guard forces to crush the uprising within roughly 24 tense hours.
Russia’s ambassador said the mutineers were subdued largely through the paramilitary group’s intervention, though Niger’s government has stayed silent.
Three presidential guards died and were buried Monday, according to a foreign ministry statement offering no further details.
This marks Russia’s second Sahel rescue this year, following April’s intervention against jihadist attacks in Mali.
Analysts say Moscow now prioritizes propping up juntas over fighting extremism, cementing its influence across Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Roughly 2,000 Russian fighters remain stationed across the region, forming an increasingly indispensable, if controversial, security backbone.