Niger's military on Saturday said it was "gradually regaining control" after mutineers started holding soldiers hostage at a military base next to the capital's airport and fired shots.
In a statement read out on public television and signed by Defence Minister General Salifou Mody, authorities called on the public to "remain calm and freely go about their business."
The statement said that "a group of soldiers acting in breach of military regulations attempted to detain some of their comrades at the Base 101 barracks in Niamey and opened fire on several sensitive sites in the city. The prompt reaction of the defence and security forces made it possible to contain this mutiny and gradually regain control of these sites."
"Insurgents from within the armed forces" also tried to enter the presidential palace in Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday, security sources told AFP, but were repelled by the presidential guard.
Overnight, residents reported hearing heavy gunfire in several neighbourhoods of the capital, near the presidential palace and around the airport, which is home to a major military base.
