Niger mutiny tests Moscow’s growing footprint in Sahel security
Niger’s capital Niamey faced a major mutiny at Base 101, with soldiers taking hostages and attacking key sites before government forces—backed by Russia’s Africa Corps—reasserted control. The episode highlights Niger’s pivot away from Western partners toward Moscow, underscores internal strain in the armed forces amid ongoing jihadist threats, and shows broader regional security realignments (Algeria, AES) without resolving the country’s wider security crisis.