All articles tagged with #niger
A California missionary kidnapped in Niger in 2016 by an Al Qaeda–linked group describes six years of brutal captivity—beatings, drugging, shackles and isolation—and his return home in 2023; in his memoir All the Way Home he details trauma, faith, and rebuilding, and warns Western workers of danger in the Sahel, while officials say no ransom was paid and no direct negotiation occurred.
Russia’s Africa Corps, now under Moscow’s defense ministry, has shifted toward protecting allied Sahel governments in Niger (and likely Mali and Burkina Faso), aiding loyalist forces after mutinies and strengthening Moscow’s political clout in the region. Analysts say these interventions bolster regime survival but do not solve the jihadist insurgency, and Ukraine’s war limits Russia’s ability to expand further in Africa.
Russia is expanding its influence in Africa by aiding Niger’s mutiny crackdown and signaling ongoing support through Wagner and the Africa Corps, a low-cost arrangement analysts say helps keep juntas in power even as the Sahel’s security situation worsens and raises concerns about sovereignty and human rights.
Russia announced that its African Corps helped Niger’s security forces repel a weekend coup in Niamey, including attacks on the airbase and presidential palace; Nigerien authorities later said the rebellion was contained and the government under Gen Abdourahmane Tiani remains in control. Moscow pledged ongoing support against extremists, highlighting Russia’s growing security role in the Sahel where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have deepened ties, even as jihadist violence persists.
Mutinous soldiers attacked Niamey’s airport and the presidential palace, triggering hours of gunfire and explosions; loyalist forces were retaking sites by morning, but the airport remained contested with the broader situation unclear, highlighting internal threats to President Tiani’s rule amid Niger’s ongoing jihadist conflict and regional security tensions.
Armed mutineers attacked Niger’s capital Niamey, briefly seized the national broadcaster, and moved toward the presidential palace in what the government called an attempted coup led by junior officers unhappy with the ruling military regime of Abdourahamane Tchiani; officials and diplomats said the insurrection was contained and security forces regained control of key sites, though the plot appears faltering amid Niger’s fragile security landscape.
Niger’s capital Niamey faces a mutiny by soldiers, illustrating an overstretched security apparatus battling jihadist attacks with Russian support and underscoring how worsening insecurity in the central Sahel is fueling unrest within the militaries that have seized power.
Gunfire and explosions rocked Niger's capital Niamey early Saturday as security sources said terrorists attacked Diori Hamani International Airport and tried to breach the presidential security perimeter. Authorities reported heavy gunfire around Base 101 and near the airport, with security forces conducting search operations and claiming attackers had been neutralised or fled; independent verification was limited as the situation remained developing. Niger's military government has been dealing with security challenges amid shifting regional alliances.
American missionary Kevin Rideout, kidnapped in Niamey, Niger, in Oct 2025, has been released after more than nine months in captivity and will fly home to the United States; President Trump announced the reunion with Rideout’s wife Krista and SIM International confirmed the release, noting Rideout is in good health. The case unfolds amid Niger’s post‑coup instability and Islamist militant activity, and his release marks the 110th American captive freed since Trump began his second term.
An American missionary, Kevin Rideout, kidnapped outside Niamey, Niger, last October, has been released and is in FBI custody in good health, according to SIM International; the circumstances of his release and his captors remain unclear.
Kevin Rideout, an American missionary with SIM International, was kidnapped outside Niamey in October 2025 and held for nine months by unidentified captors in Niger. He has been released to U.S. officials and is in good health, with a reunion with his family expected soon; the FBI did not comment, and it remains unclear who was holding him. The case comes amid ongoing militant activity along Niger's borders.
Gunmen attacked Niger's Niamey international airport, triggering a firefight and temporary disruption of operations; authorities have not immediately disclosed casualties or claimed responsibility.
In northern Niger, a truck carrying people home from a religious festival in Mali broke down in the Sahara near Assamaka, leaving 49 dead from thirst after days without water; two survivors walked over 50 km to reach a water source and alert authorities, and the deceased were buried in mass graves at the scene as investigators assess the breakdown's cause.
In Niger’s south-central Sahara, a truck carrying people broke down in the desert, leaving passengers stranded without water. At least 49 died of thirst as rescue efforts recovered bodies and help arrived, underscoring the deadly risks faced by travelers crossing the Sahara.
At least 49 people died of thirst in northern Niger after a truck carrying travelers from Mali broke down in the Sahara; only two survived after trekking to Assamaka to alert authorities as extreme heat and lack of water left them stranded.