Niger’s ⁠defence ministry says armed forces retaking control of sites targeted in overnight attack.A group of soldiers in Niger has rebelled against officers at a key military base and fired at sensitive locations in the capital, Niamey, in an apparent collective mutiny, according to authorities.Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday in the city, including at the main airport that houses the military air base, known as Base 101, and in the Plateau administrative district, where the presidential palace and key institutions are located.By late morning, Niger’s ⁠defence ministry said the armed forces were progressively retaking control of sites targeted in the overnight attack, but security sources said mutineers were still present at the airport and the overall situation remained unclear.The incident marks the third time the city – and specifically the main airport complex – has experienced major unrest this year, underscoring persistent insecurity under Niger’s military-led government that seized power in a coup in 2023 and vowed to restore order.Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Bureau of the Consultative Council and a deputy ⁠in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) parliament, said on Facebook that attackers had targeted Base 101 but that security forces had regained control.“Another cowardly attack on Base 101 and once again our defence and security forces ensured … Situation under control,” Ibrahim wrote.Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport. Niger’s national television station was also cut off following the overnight gunfire in Niamey, local residents told AFP news agency.State television, after resuming broadcasts, aired a message saying mutinous soldiers from a base in Niamey had opened fire on “sensitive sites” in the city. Security forces had reacted quickly and “contained this disturbance”, it said.The assault involved soldiers from Ouallam, Tera, and Dosso in the southwest, ⁠according to a Niger security source and Yvan Guichaoua, senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for ⁠Conflict Studies.Troops in this area have sustained heavy casualties in battles with the regional al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) affiliates, as security sources say frustration with the government is mounting within frontline units.The Nigerien military urged people to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information, saying its defence and security forces had been mobilised.Niamey airport has been targeted twice this year by armed groups, first by ISIL affiliate Islamic State in the Sahel in January and then by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the Sahel branch of al-Qaeda, in June.Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled by the military since a July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.Since seizing power, General Abdourahamane Tchiani’s military government has shifted away from Western partners, deepened ties with Russia, and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in AES, a ⁠breakaway from the regional ECOWAS bloc.