'Soldiers attempted mutiny': Niger's def min after gunfire, blasts rock Niamey

The incident marked the third attack this year on the capital's nternational airport, following two earlier assaults by jihadi rebels. The Niger government said a group of soldiers had attempted to stage a mutiny and that the situation was now under control after sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday in Niamey, the capital of the West African country.According to defence minister General Salifou Mody, the soldiers took several officers hostage at Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport, which houses a key military air base known as Base 101, as well as in the Plateau administrative district, home to the presidential palace and other key institutions.Mody described the alleged mutiny attempt as a “break with discipline and military regulations.”As the attack unfolded, state broadcaster RTN halted its live transmission for several hours before resuming its broadcast.The incident marked the third attack this year on the international airport, following two earlier assaults by jihadi rebels. Besides Niger’s air force Base 101, the airport also houses the headquarters of a joint military force comprising Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.Niger has been ruled...