Life returned to normal in Niger’s capital Niamey on Sunday, after the military regime and its Russian paramilitary partners put down a mutiny by soldiers.
Mutineers notably tried to storm the presidential compound. Because yesterday evening was very pleasant, “This morning, it’s like paradise.
Several were killed, according to a security source, while others were arrested. “We had a hellish night on Friday,” said one resident in the Talladje area near the airbase. “What happened was between us Nigeriens,” said one shopkeeper from the Route Tchanga neighbourhood near the airport. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Sunday said on X that the Italian military personnel there “are well” and continued to do their work. Another neighbour, Nigeria, which has more strained relations, said it viewed the situation “with deep concern”.
On Sunday, access to the airbase at the airport, where the mutineers had barricaded themselves in, and to the presidency, was once again open, residents said.
A statement from its foreign ministry urged “the government and people of Niger to work together towards an inclusive and participatory return to stability and constitutional order”. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a statement on X Sunday expressing the kingdom’s “solidarity with the government… against any attempt to undermine the country’s security and stability”.
