Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger to thwart ‘coup attempt’, president says

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says Algiers deployed warplanes to Niamey in late August following an attack by mutineers.Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said that his country sent fighter jets to Niger in late August to help thwart a “coup attempt” that shook the capital, Niamey.The confirmation came in excerpts from Tebboune’s interview with local media outlets that was broadcast on Saturday ahead of its full release.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Niger military accuses France of orchestrating failed coup: What to knowlist 2 of 3Niger military government reshuffles army command weeks after deadly mutinylist 3 of 3Niger mutiny exposes growing reliance on Russiaend of listTebboune said that the warplanes were sent because some parties had “gone too far”.He added that Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, had been visiting Algeria and returned home at night just before the mutiny.“For obvious reasons, this is a provocation against us … and I too will send planes and we’ll meet head-on,” Tebboune said.He did not specify who he meant when he said some had gone too far, or whether he was referring to internal or external actors.Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard in Niamey overnight on August 28 into August 29.A military base at Diori Hamani International Airport was first targeted by renegade soldiers, followed by attacks on the state broadcaster and presidential palace.A military armoured vehicle on the street in Niamey following the attack by mutineers on the airport and presidency on August 30, 2026 [File: Reuters]Niger’s Minister of Defence, General Salifou Modi, announced at the time that a group of military personnel attempted to detain a number of their colleagues at Air Base 101, and opened fire on strategic locations in the capital.Security forces had intervened and managed to contain the situation, gradually regaining control over the targeted locations, he added.