Sources tell African Perceptions that the Presidential Guard has brought the situation under control and secured the release of soldiers detained by the mutineers, while state television broadcasts footage of surrendering troops and casualties

Special sources told African Perceptions on Sunday morning that the situation in Niger’s capital, Niamey, was under control and that military personnel detained by those behind the unrest had been released following hours of confrontation.

The sources said the Presidential Guard had ended the mutiny and regained control of the locations where the mutinous soldiers had deployed. Calm returned to the capital after a night of gunfire and explosions.

The authorities have not yet disclosed how many soldiers were detained or the circumstances of their release. No comprehensive official casualty toll has been announced.

Footage Shows Surrenders and Casualties

Niger’s national television broadcast footage on Saturday that it said documented the Presidential Guard’s suppression of the mutiny. The images showed soldiers identified as participants surrendering, as well as people said to have been killed or wounded during the confrontations.

The broadcaster said the Presidential Guard had quelled the mutiny and retaken the affected locations. It did not provide an official casualty toll or detailed information about the identities of all those shown dead or wounded in the footage.

The images were broadcast after hours of heavy gunfire and explosions across parts of Niamey, particularly around Air Base 101, Diori Hamani International Airport and other sensitive locations.

Minister of State and Minister of National Defence General Salifou Mody had earlier announced that soldiers from the Air Base 101 barracks had opened fire on several sensitive sites in the capital.

Mody said the swift response of the defence and security forces had contained what he described as an “act of discontent within the military” and enabled the gradual restoration of control over the affected sites.

The Confederation of Sahel States, meanwhile, described the events as a mutiny carried out by a group of soldiers as part of an “attempt to destabilise” Niger. It said loyalist republican forces had contained and defeated the attempt.

Normal Life Resumes

Niger’s official news agency reported that life had largely returned to normal in Niamey, with traffic and commercial activity resuming. Defence and security forces, however, remained deployed around the airport, the presidential palace and other strategic locations.

Sources contacted by African Perceptions inside the capital on Sunday morning confirmed that the city was calm and that the situation was under the Presidential Guard’s control.

Al-Ansari: Curtailing the Army’s Powers Fuelled Discontent

Omar Al-Ansari, a founding member of Niger’s Democratic and Republican Renewal Party, said the unrest within the army was, in his view, linked to a reduction in the military’s powers in favour of the Presidential Guard.

Speaking while the situation was still tense, Al-Ansari said the army was operating under exceptional conditions in its fight against armed groups but lacked basic resources, while privileges were being granted elsewhere.

“I am deeply saddened as I speak about what has been happening in my country since midnight. The situation remains tense. The reason, in my view, is the reduction of the army’s powers in favour of the Presidential Guard. This has created discontent within the military, which is operating under exceptional conditions in the fight against terrorism,” he said.

“The only way out of this situation is a return to constitutional order. Heroism is not about seizing power by force or holding onto power by force. It is about each of us, civilian or military, properly fulfilling our role.”

Al-Ansari said this could only be achieved under constitutional government and the rule of law, where the responsibilities of every institution are clearly defined. He warned against the army shifting from its role as the defender of the country to becoming part of competing agendas and internal political struggles.

Despite the return of calm and official declarations that the mutiny had been defeated, Nigerien authorities have not disclosed how many soldiers participated, identified its leaders, announced a final casualty toll or revealed what measures will be taken against those who surrendered.