Algeria deployed fighter jets to Niger to thwart coup attempt, Tebboune says

October 3, 2026 at 11:03 PM2 min

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed that Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger in late August to help thwart a coup attempt in Niamey. The deployment followed sustained gunfire and attacks on strategic locations in the Nigerien capital. Tebboune said the move came after some parties had 'gone too far'.

Key Facts

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed the deployment of fighter jets to Niger in late August to help thwart a coup attempt in Niamey.
The Algerian Ministry of Defence said on August 30 that it had sent four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and an air-to-air refuelling plane to Niamey airport.
Niger's Defence Minister General Salifou Modi announced that a group of military personnel attempted to detain colleagues at Air Base 101 and opened fire on strategic locations in the capital.
Niger's military government last month accused France of orchestrating the failed mutiny, a claim France denied.

The Coup Attempt

Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard in Niamey overnight on August 28 into August 29. A military base at Diori Hamani International Airport was first targeted by renegade soldiers, followed by attacks on the state broadcaster and presidential palace. Niger's Minister of Defence, General Salifou Modi, announced that a group of military personnel attempted to detain a number of their colleagues at Air Base 101 and opened fire on strategic locations in the capital. Security forces intervened and managed to contain the situation, gradually regaining control over the targeted locations, he added.

Algerian Military Response

On August 30, the Algerian Ministry of Defence said it had sent four fighter jets to Niger following the unrest. It said two patrols of four Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft had landed at Niamey airport, accompanied by an air-to-air refuelling plane. The warplanes were deployed at the request of Nigerien authorities on 'a mission to support the Nigerien army in confronting an attempt to destabilise the brotherly state of Niger,' the ministry added. President Tebboune said the warplanes were sent because some parties had 'gone too far'.

Regional Tensions

Niger's military government last month accused France of orchestrating the failed mutiny, but France denied any involvement in the events in its former colony. Algeria and Niger share close security and military ties, as well as a long land border, with Algeria viewing the stability of the Sahel region as an essential component of its national security. Niger's Prime Minister Zeine met President Tebboune when he visited Algeria on August 26–27 as the head of a high-level ministerial delegation aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries.