{"id":8563,"date":"2026-08-30T17:56:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T17:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt"},"modified":"2026-08-30T18:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T18:23:25","slug":"nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt","title":{"rendered":"Niger\u2019S President Absent since Coup Attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>The president of Niger, General Omar Abdul Rahman Tiani, has not appeared publicly and has not issued a statement since the attempted coup that took place in the capital, Niamey, early Saturday morning. A local source reported that his whereabouts remained unknown at the time of their report. The Minister of Defense, General Salifou Modi, announced in a statement read on state television that the situation had been contained.<\/p>\n

In the absence of any appearance by the president, messaging apps circulated an audio recording attributed to a group calling itself “the armed forces to restore the homeland,” declaring that Tiani “is no longer the president of Niger” and announcing the dissolution of the constitution and transitional institutions. A French site clarified that the authenticity of the recording has not been verified, and no confirmation has been issued by the authorities regarding its content.<\/p>\n

A local source reported that the presidential guard thwarted an attempt to storm the palace and regained control of the airbase “with the help of Russian forces.” A newspaper cited a source stating that the rebels had at one point taken control of the airport and the Turkish drones located there, as well as the national television and radio stations, while a diplomat quoted by the same newspaper indicated that the government managed to re-establish control over central Niamey.<\/p>\n

What is the situation today?<\/b><\/p>\n

The national civil aviation agency in Niger stated today, Sunday, that operations at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey “are continuing normally following the security incidents” that occurred in the capital on Saturday evening. The agency’s director, Hamadou Osini Ibrahim, instructed the operating agencies at the airport to “ensure the continuity of services,” according to a report from a Chinese news agency.<\/p>\n

The Sahel Alliance (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso) announced in a statement the failure of what it described as “an attempt to destabilize,” affirming that the alliance “remains fully engaged and mobilized alongside Niger.” The National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (the ruling body in Niamey) urged citizens to avoid circulating unverified information on social media, according to a local news site.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Defense in Niger reported that a group of military personnel “violating military regulations” attempted to detain several of their comrades at the 101 airbase in Niamey and “opened fire on several sensitive sites in the city,” adding that “the rapid intervention of defense and security forces allowed for the containment of the attempted coup and the gradual restoration of control over these sites.”<\/p>\n

Gunfire lasted for hours, with the fiercest clashes concentrated near the 101 base adjacent to the airport, as well as around the presidential palace. A local source reported that state television and radio went off the air at 8 a.m. local time, while another source indicated that television resumed broadcasting around 10 a.m. after an interruption of over an hour. The local source added that the presidential palace appeared secured by loyal forces by 9 a.m. GMT, while the airport area remained contested.<\/p>\n

The state television “RTN” announced that dozens of rebel soldiers were killed or captured, a toll that a local source stated could not be independently verified. The Nigerien authorities have not yet issued an official toll.<\/p>\n

Who are the perpetrators?<\/b><\/p>\n

A local source reported that soldiers from the regions of Ouallam, Tera, and Dosso in the southwest of the country participated in the attack, units that have suffered heavy casualties in their battles against the ISIS branch in the Sahel. While the authorities described the events as a “rebellion,” a magazine characterized it as a coup attempt led by young officers. The Russian ambassador to Niger, Viktor Vorobiev, stated that young officers participated in the rebellion and that the leadership of the 101 base requested military assistance from Russia. A Russian news agency reported that the chief of staff of the Nigerien army and the chief of staff of the ground forces visited the “African Legion” base of the Russian Ministry of Defense to thank its personnel for their assistance in suppressing the rebellion. A local source reported that the legion provided air and ground support to local forces.<\/p>\n

Why the 101 base?<\/b><\/p>\n

According to a news agency, the 101 base is located within the Diori Hamani Airport complex about 10 kilometers from central Niamey and was a launch point for American drones until the departure of U.S. forces from the country in July 2024. Its military section was re-equipped to receive modern Turkish drones and to serve as the headquarters for the joint force of the Sahel Alliance, with Russian military personnel supporting the military council. The complex’s warehouses reportedly contain 1,000 tons of concentrated uranium oxide (known as “yellowcake”) extracted from the Arlit mine, a shipment that has become contentious after being seized from a French company and remains stuck at the site.<\/p>\n

This airport has been subjected to two attacks this year, one in January claimed by the ISIS branch in the Sahel and the second in June claimed by the Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group affiliated with al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n

A researcher reported that attacks have become “commonplace” and will fuel instability within the military institution.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. The president of Niger, General Omar Abdul Rahman Tiani, has not appeared publicly and has not issued a statement since the attempted coup that took place in the capital, Niamey, early Saturday morning. A local source reported that his whereabouts remained unknown at the time of their report. The Minister of Defense, General Salifou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":8561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-8563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nNiger\u2019S President Absent since Coup Attempt - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The president of Niger, General Omar Abdul Rahman Tiani, has not appeared publicly and has not issued a statement\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Niger\u2019S President Absent since Coup Attempt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The president of Niger, General Omar Abdul Rahman Tiani, has not appeared publicly and has not issued a statement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-30T17:56:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-30T18:23:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/sm_1788113681.224282-6a947454c2b8e.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1167\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Niger\u2019S President Absent since Coup Attempt\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-30T17:56:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-30T18:23:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\"},\"wordCount\":873,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/sm_1788113681.224282-6a947454c2b8e.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/nigers-president-absent-since-coup-attempt\",\"name\":\"Niger\u2019S President Absent since Coup Attempt - 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