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Niger Says a Drone Strike From Chad Killed Two Civilians in Agadez Region, and Accuses France of Backing It

Desert landscape seen from the Djado plateau in northern Niger — The Djado plateau in the far north of Niger’s Agadez region, near the Salvador Pass area (file photo, 2016). Credit: Maireymaradi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Niger’s military government says a drone launched from Chad struck the Emi Lulu area in the far north of its Agadez region at about 1 a.m. on Saturday 24 October 2026, killing two civilians, wounding others and damaging vehicles. In a statement read on national television on Monday 26 October, Niamey blamed Chad for the strike, said it was carried out “with the support” of France, and announced it would take the case to the UN Security Council and the African Union. Chad had not responded officially by Tuesday, and Niger has not yet published the evidence it says it holds.

What Niger says happened

According to the government statement carried by the state news agency ANP, the strike hit the Emi Lulu (Emi Loulou) zone of the Agadez region. AFP and Africanews place it at the Salvador Pass, a remote mining area near Niger’s borders with Libya and Algeria that is also a known route for smuggling and armed groups. Niamey says two civilians were killed and several people were injured. It gave no names and did not say what the drone was targeting.

The government says investigations by the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), working with judicial authorities, established where the strike came from “on the basis of concordant material and technical elements”. It says those elements will be handed to the relevant international bodies. It has not said what type of drone was used or what the evidence consists of.

The statement calls the strike a “flagrant violation” of national sovereignty and of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which bars the threat or use of force against another state’s territorial integrity. It also accuses Chad of having taken a hostile course towards Niger “for several months” and of giving “strategic depth” to mercenaries who, it says, attack civilians and Niger’s strategic and energy infrastructure. The government says it holds evidence that “certain foreign powers” back this effort, and asks the states concerned for public clarification.

What Niamey says it will do

Summon Chad’s ambassador to deliver a formal protest.
Refer the matter to the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council.
Ask for an independent international investigation, which it says it will support fully.
Inform its partners and allies and call on them to show solidarity “in line with their commitments”.
Strengthen surveillance and protection of its airspace and border areas.

Niger says it holds Chad “fully responsible” and demands an immediate end to “any hostile action” and compensation for the damage.

Months of accusations against N’Djamena and Paris

This is not the first time Niamey has pointed at Chad and France. In early September, Nigerien state television linked N’Djamena to a mutiny that the authorities said they had foiled (our report on the mutiny). On 2 September, Captain Roger Gabriel, speaking for the authorities, alleged a plan for an intervention from Chadian territory involving Chadian authorities and French special forces, according to APA. At the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine accused Chad and France of preparing an attack on Niger’s borders. RFI notes that he did not present evidence.

Niger expelled French forces after the July 2023 coup and has since turned to Russia, Türkiye and, most recently, Algeria for security support. Algeria’s parliament approved sending an army unit to Niger on 25 October, a deployment officially tied to protecting energy interests (see our report and analysis). Niger’s own air arm flies armed Turkish drones, including the Bayraktar TB2.

Chad’s operations near the border

The accusation lands while Chad’s army is fighting in its own north. RFI reports that N’Djamena is carrying out air operations against the Miski self-defence committee in the Tibesti mountains, not far from the Nigerien border, and RFI also reported renewed fighting in the Tibesti gold-mining zone on 25 October. Chad has not said whether any of its aircraft or drones operated near or across the border on 24 October.

What is still unclear

Neither Chad nor France had publicly answered the accusation at the time of writing, as far as Defence Mena could find.
No independent source has confirmed the casualties, the location or the origin of the drone.
Niger has not said what the drone type was, who or what was hit, or what evidence links the strike to French support.
It is not known whether the UN Security Council or the AU Peace and Security Council will take up the complaint.

Defence Mena will update this article if Chad, France or an independent investigator responds.

Sources

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