Niger: an officer accuses Benin of having prepared a crisis unit during the Niamey mutiny

The case of the mutiny that occurred in Niamey is taking on a new dimension. Speaking on Tuesday, September 1, on Niger’s national television, Captain Roger Gabriel, presented as company commander of the 1st Parachute Battalion, gave his version of the events that shook the Nigerien capital on the night of August 28 to 29.
According to the officer’s account, several pieces of information circulated during the tense hours about a possible external intervention intended to support the soldiers holed up at Air Base 101. He claims to have received calls and messages reporting preparations involving several foreign actors.

It is in this account that the name of Benin appears once again from the mouths of Nigerien authorities. Roger Gabriel asserts that Romuald Wadagni had established a crisis unit on Beninese territory to monitor the situation and prepare for a possible intervention.

The officer also mentions, according to sources reporting his intervention, contacts and information indicating possible involvement of Ivory Coast, France, and other external actors. He says he transmitted some of this information to his superiors.

These statements come as relations between Niamey and Cotonou had begun to ease after several months of intense tensions. They could therefore call into question the fragile rapprochement underway between the two capitals.

At this stage, the accusations made by Captain Roger Gabriel should be treated with caution, especially since since the coup in Niger, the new strongmen in Niamey have consistently accused the authorities in Cotonou without providing proof of their allegations.

A possible reaction from Beninese authorities is awaited. It is hoped that these new accusations will not cool the momentum of rapprochement between the two countries. For now, these are only statements attributed to a Nigerien officer regarding a crisis whose circumstances continue to be investigated by Nigerien authorities.