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🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire /Conflict & Security

Niger mutiny: Benin and Chad deny accusations as Ivory Coast and France remain silent

From Fraternité Matin · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nigerien authorities initially described the August 28-29 events in Niamey as a protest, but a September 1 Télé Sahel report presented them in a different light.
  • A captain identifying himself as Roger Gabriel accused several regional and international actors of supporting mutineers, without presenting evidence.
  • Benin rejected the allegations on September 5, while Chad also denied them; Ivory Coast and France had not responded in the supplied report.

The aftermath of the August 28 and 29 mutiny in Niamey has turned into a diplomatic incident. Nigerien authorities initially described the events as a “mood movement,” but a report broadcast by Télé Sahel on September 1 gave the episode a markedly different tone.

Facing the camera, a captain identifying himself as Roger Gabriel of the First Parachute Battalion openly accused Benin, Ivory Coast, France and Chad of backing the mutineers. He also named ECOWAS and people around former President Mohamed Bazoum. The mutineers belonged to the Special Reconnaissance Battalion of the Special Operations Command and had taken refuge at Air Base 101.

The broadcast presented no evidence for the accusations. Benin became the first country named in the allegations to respond officially, firmly rejecting them on the morning of September 5. Speaking to the press in Cotonou, government spokesman and minister Wilfried Houngbedji said: “No one can believe these al...” The supplied report ends during his statement.

Chad also denied the accusations. The supplied text says Ivory Coast and France had remained silent, leaving the claims at the center of an escalating diplomatic dispute.

No one can believe these al...

· Wilfried HoungbedjiBenin’s government spokesman was rejecting the accusations at a press conference in Cotonou; the supplied source cuts off during the statement.
About this summary

Originally published by Fraternité Matin in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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