Niamey, 27 October 2026. Tensions between Niger and Chad have climbed another notch. In a statement read on state television on Monday evening, Niger’s government accused its neighbour of carrying out a deadly drone strike on its soil, with backing from France.
According to the authorities in Niamey, the attack took place on 24 October at around 1 a.m. in the Emilulu area of the Agadez region. Two civilians were killed. Several other people were injured and vehicles were damaged. The target lies in a remote mining zone close to the Algerian and Libyan borders, a corridor well known to smugglers and armed groups alike.
The government says investigations by the defence and security forces and by the judiciary have established where the strike came from. It holds N’Djamena fully responsible and condemns a flagrant violation of national sovereignty, describing it as an act of aggression. More broadly, Niamey accuses Chad of months of hostile behaviour and of lending support to mercenaries.
The diplomatic response came swiftly. Chad’s ambassador was summoned to receive a formal protest. Nigerien authorities also say they are referring the matter to the United Nations Security Council and to the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which are to receive the material and technical evidence cited. Niamey is demanding an immediate end to what it calls hostile actions, an independent investigation and compensation for the damage caused.
So far, no independent source has confirmed any involvement by Chad or France. Neither N’Djamena nor Paris had responded publicly at the time of writing.
This latest clash comes on top of an already badly damaged relationship. In September, Nigerien authorities blamed Chad for a foiled mutiny attempt in Niamey. Speaking at the United Nations, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine then accused N’Djamena and Paris of preparing an attack on his country, without offering evidence.
The regional backdrop weighs heavily on these accusations. Since breaking off its defence agreements with Paris, Niger’s junta, openly hostile to the former colonial power, has regularly accused France of fuelling destabilisation attempts and jihadist attacks. Chad, for its part, moved closer to France after a period of friction in 2024. In Niamey’s eyes, that shift makes it one of the last relays of French influence in the Sahel and Sahara belt.
It remains to be seen how international bodies will receive Niger’s complaint. One thing seems clear: distrust between the two Sahelian neighbours is settling in for the long haul.
