NIAMEY, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani on Friday evening accused France of having "pushed and financed" the perpetrators of an armed attack near Diori Hamani International Airport in the capital Niamey, which he said took place overnight from Jan. 28 to Jan. 29.
In an interview with Niger's state broadcaster RTN, Tchiani, president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, said Niger's intelligence services indicated that "France pushed mercenaries" to carry out the attack.
He said that France's intelligence agency and special forces had "flooded the mercenaries" with weapons and equipment since April 2025 in the Liptako-Gourma region, a tri-border area where Niger meets Mali and Burkina Faso.
He also accused France of providing "300 million CFA francs" (about 542,000 U.S. dollars) to armed groups to support their operations.
France has not abandoned attempts to "destabilize" Niger, he said, adding that the country's defense and security forces were ready to respond firmly to any form of aggression.
According to Tiani, Niger's defense and security forces neutralized 20 "mercenaries" and arrested 11 others at the scene during the attack. ■
