France on Saturday denied Niger’s allegations that it helped instigate a soldiers’ mutiny targeting key sites in the capital, Niamey, last week.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot dismissed the accusations as “pure fantasy” in an interview with RFI radio, saying France had neither intended nor mobilised resources to support such an operation.
Niger’s government accused Paris on Friday of leading a network of accomplices behind the August 29 attack. The allegation followed a Council of Ministers meeting and was announced in a statement broadcast on television.
Mutinous soldiers attacked the airport and the presidency in Niamey, posing the latest challenge to Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power in a 2023 coup.
Gunfire and explosions also struck a key military air base. Niger’s army, supported by Russian paramilitary forces, regained control of the facility the following day.
