India, Aug. 31 -- Russia's role as a security partner for military juntas in Africa's Sahel region is coming into sharper focus after its forces helped Niger's ruling junta put down a mutiny by renegade soldiers over the weekend.

The mutiny, the most serious internal threat faced by Niger's junta since it seized power in a 2023 coup, triggered a 24-hour standoff in the capital, Niamey.

Mostly young soldiers reportedly took some of their colleagues hostage at Base 101, a strategic military facility at Niamey international airport, and opened fire near the presidential palace, located about 12 kilometres away.

The mutineers were eventually subdued by presidential guard forces with assistance from Russia's Africa Corps paramilitary group,...