As Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged mastermind behind the thwarted 7 December 2025 coup attempt in Benin, remains at large, the carefully crafted official narrative from Niamey has begun to unravel. Expert findings, coupled with glaring border maneuvers, expose the Nigerien regime’s deliberate strategy of deception.
Unmasking Niamey’s border deception
The claim that Niger played no part in Tigri’s flight is crumbling under scrutiny. Speaking to international media, French economist and former Nigerien government advisor Olivier Vallée delivered a decisive blow to Niamey’s version of events, confirming the Beninese military officer’s presence on Nigerien soil.
This brazen act of state-level deception is compounded by inexplicable chronological anomalies. Why did Nigerien authorities fling open their borders the evening before the Beninese coup attempt—only to slam them shut the very next day, once the operation collapsed? This contradictory border policy suggests more than mere coincidence; it points to deliberate facilitation. According to Vallée’s account, Tigri first sought refuge in Niger to orchestrate his escape after the failed coup, before vanishing into broader regional networks. « Latest intelligence indicates he is no longer in Niger—likely within the Sahel Alliance (AES) but not on Nigerien territory, » Vallée asserts.
While Vallée stops short of alleging direct military support from Niger’s central administration, the timing of the border manipulation and Tigri’s apparent sanctuary in the country expose local-level complicity—or at least tacit protection—that Niamey is now scrambling to conceal.
The hollow face of diplomatic reconciliation
These revelations cast a harsh light on Niger’s diplomatic doublespeak. On 24 May, the staging of Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine’s attendance at Benin’s new president Romuald Wadagni’s inauguration was widely seen as an attempt to reset strained relations between the two nations.
Yet diplomacy cannot erase hard evidence. With Benin offering a 20 million CFA franc bounty for Tigri’s capture, Niger’s credibility lies in tatters. Its contradictory border actions and suspected temporary asylum for the fugitive have laid bare the regime’s duplicity, jeopardizing even the most superficial diplomatic rapprochement.
