Niger military gov’t says France, Benin, Ivory Coast behind airport attack

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffJanuary 29, 2026 at 11:45 PM

AI Summary

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Niger's military government, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, accused France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of sponsoring an attack on a military base at Niamey's international airport on Thursday. Tiani, who seized power in a 2023 coup, claimed the attack occurred on Wednesday night into Thursday, resulting in injuries to four military personnel and the death of 20 attackers. He thanked Russian troops stationed at the base for their assistance in repelling the assault. The Nigerien defense ministry stated that eleven people were arrested following the attack. Tiani's accusations come amid deteriorating relations between Niger and France, as well as neighboring nations.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Salifou Modi 50% Russia 60% Emmanuel Macron 60% Patrice Talon 60% Alassane Ouattara 60% Diori Hamani International Airport 70% Benin ×370% Ivory Coast ×370% Niamey 70% France ×480% Niger ×390% Abdourahamane Tiani ×390%

Keywords

airport attack 90% niger 90% military government 80% france 70% military base 70% russian troops 70% benin 60% ivory coast 60% diori hamani international airport 50% coup 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Niger

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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airport attack niger military government france military base russian troops benin ivory coast diori hamani international airport coup

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