Nigeria has vehemently denied allegations by Niger that it is supporting militant groups to destabilize the neighboring country. The Nigerian foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday expressing "strong concern" over the accusations, which also implicated French troops in alleged destabilization efforts. The ministry labeled the allegations "unfounded" and called for their dismissal.
"These allegations are unfounded and should be discarded in their entirety," the Nigerian foreign ministry said after Niger's government summoned the Nigerian embassy's charge d'affaires on Wednesday to express its frustration.
On Thursday, Niger's Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare accused Nigeria of providing support for a December 13 attack on a Niger-Benin oil pipeline near the border with Nigeria by the Lakurawa terrorist group.
"Despite efforts to normalise relations, we regret that Nigeria has not given up on serving as a rear base for the destabilisation of Niger with the complicity of some foreign powers and officials of the former regime, to whom it offers refuge," Sangare said in a statement read on television.
Abuja strongly refuted any involvement in the pipeline attack, stating that the attackers "were neither backed nor assisted by Nigerian authorities", and reaffirmed the country's commitment to peaceful relations with Niamey.
Tensions between the two nations have been high since the 2023 military takeover in Niger and its subsequent withdrawal from ECOWAS. This latest diplomatic rift follows Nigeria's earlier consideration and subsequent abandonment of a regional military intervention to reinstate ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, despite outspoken encouragement from Paris.