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Niger’s junta has thanked the military forces of Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar for their assistance in securing the freedom of five hostages, including a prefect and four soldiers.
This act signifies a growing security alliance between Niger’s coup government, which has turned its back on Western partners, and Haftar’s administration in Benghazi, which rivals the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.
The hostages were kidnapped in June 2024 near the shared, porous border by the Patriotic Front for Justice (FPJ), a militant group dedicated to reinstating the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, whom the junta toppled in July 2023.
Nigerien state media confirmed that the five ex-hostages arrived in the capital, Niamey, after their liberation, which was attributed to the support of the Benghazi authorities.
Niger’s Interior Minister, General Mohamed Toumba, specifically thanked Haftar’s son, General Saddam Haftar—who had visited Niger in May—for his “involvement” in the operation against the “criminal bandits.”
The cooperation between the two military regimes is focused on managing the vast desert border region, known as a conduit for armed groups and smuggling.
