Niger Replaces Military Chief After Russian Drones Help Crush Deadly Mutiny

Niger’s military ruler, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has replaced the country’s armed forces chief, two weeks after Russian personnel and kamikaze drones helped loyalist soldiers defeat a nearly 24-hour mutiny that threatened the government in Niamey.

By a decree signed on September 11, 2026, Tiani appointed Brigadier General Mamane Sani Kiaou as chief of staff of the armed forces, state television reported. Kiaou, who previously served as army chief of staff, replaces Major General Moussa Salaou Barmou, who had led Niger’s military since shortly after the July 2023 coup that removed former President Mohamed Bazoum. The government did not publicly explain why Barmou was replaced. General Abdourahmane Abou Zataka was appointed to succeed Kiaou as army chief of staff.

Kiaou is described as a seasoned field commander who has led operations against jihadist groups in Niger’s western Tillaberi region and the southeastern Diffa area. He recently completed a tour of the country’s key military garrisons aimed at restoring cohesion among troops, and he led negotiations that resulted in the withdrawal of French and US forces from Niger following the 2023 coup.

The leadership change follows a revolt at Base 101, a strategic military installation beside Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, on August 28 and 29. Mutinous soldiers calling themselves the Armed Forces for the Restoration of the Homeland attacked the airbase, the presidential palace and the national broadcaster in a coordinated assault. A statement circulated during the fighting falsely declared that Tiani had been removed. Gunfire and explosions continued for almost 24 hours before forces loyal to Tiani regained control.

Niger’s forces received direct assistance from Russia’s Africa Corps during the battle. Reuters reported that Russian personnel provided combat support and operated kamikaze drones against the mutineers, and Russia’s ambassador to Niger subsequently confirmed that Russian forces helped the government regain control. About 200 Russian Africa Corps soldiers, backed by drones and reportedly reinforced from Mali and Libya, helped retake the airbase by evening.

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Nigerien state television said dozens of mutineers were killed or arrested, and three members of the presidential guard were also killed. Al Jazeera reported that at least 27 people were killed and about 100 mutineers were arrested. The authorities have not released a complete casualty list or disclosed how many soldiers joined the revolt.

Russian Ambassador to Niger Viktor Voropayev said officers from special forces units deployed to various parts of the country took part in the mutiny, arriving in Niamey overnight to August 29. According to unofficial data, there were several hundred participants, as indicated by the intensity and duration of the clashes that began around midnight and continued until nearly noon.

The mutiny exposed deep grievances within Niger’s military. Ryan Cummings, head analyst at Signal Risk, told Al Jazeera that the insurrection indicated discord within the armed forces, stemming foremost from significant casualties inflicted on the military by non-state armed actors. He also pointed to discrepancies in deployment and remuneration between low- to middle-ranking officers who led the attempted mutiny and their more senior counterparts, such as the presidential guard who thwarted it. Junior and middle-ranking soldiers are generally deployed to conflict front lines, where they face well-equipped militant units, while more senior military units are deployed to garrisoned cities such as Niamey, where the threat of engagement is lower but remuneration is significantly higher.

The episode showed that Russia’s role in Niger now extends beyond the fight against armed groups to helping protect the military government itself. Tiani expelled French and American troops in 2023 and 2024, and troops from Russia’s Africa Corps entered Niger as the military government sought to replace Western support. Until recently, these partnerships were presented mainly as part of the fight against armed groups operating across the Sahel. The intervention in Niamey suggests that Africa Corps has acquired another role: protecting friendly military governments from threats within their own armed forces.

The African Union Commission expressed concern over the failed mutiny, with its chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf strongly condemning the use of violence and any attempt to seize power by force. The AU renewed its call for the restoration of constitutional order. Tiani has not spoken publicly since the mutiny, but his office said he had spoken by phone with Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and confirmed the deployment of Algerian fighter jets to Niamey at Niger’s request to strengthen military cooperation.

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