Mercenaries behind the assault were backed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Benin and Ivory Coast counterparts, the Sahel states leader has said

Niger's transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has accused France and neighboring Benin and Ivory Coast of sponsoring a "cowardly attack" on the main international airport in the Sahel state's capital early on Thursday.

Gunfire and explosions werereportednear Diori Hamani International Airport around midnight before officials said the situation had been brought under control.

Some aircraft were reportedly damaged, but no serious civilian injuries were reported. Niger's national broadcaster said a French national was among the suspects killed in the clashes and aired footage showing several bodies on the ground.

Speaking on state television after visiting Air Base 101, next to the airport in Niamey, Gen. Tchiani named French President Emmanuel Macron, Benin's Patrice Talon, and Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara as the alleged sponsors of the assault and vowed retaliation.

"We remind the sponsors of these mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara, that we have heard them bark long enough; they should now get ready, in turn, to hear us roar," the military leader said.

READ MORE: Airport in Nigers capital attacked (VIDEOS)

He praised Nigerien defense and security forces, and Russian troops stationed at the base, for their "swift response" in repelling the attack. Russian forces have beendeployedto the camp since 2024 after Niamey terminated a decade-old defense agreement with the US and demanded the withdrawal of roughly 1,000 American troops.

France, once the dominant external power in the Sahel, has steadily lost influence amid widespread frustration over insecurity, economic stagnation, and perceptions of foreigninterference. Niger's military leaders, along with their allies in Mali and Burkina Faso, have forced French troops to withdraw from their territories, where they had been deployed to combat jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

The leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States have repeatedly accused Paris of failed counterinsurgency efforts and of seeking to undermine their governments by cooperating with rebel factions operating in border regions.

France, Benin, and Ivory Coast have yet to respond publicly to Tchiani's latest accusations. Last June, Beninrejectedsimilar claims that it was working with Western powers to harbor militants aimed at destabilizing Niger and the wider Sahel, calling the allegations "unfounded."

(RT.com)