Uncovering the truth behind the pascal tigri affair in Niger

The search for Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged mastermind behind the thwarted coup attempt in Benin on 7 December 2025, continues, but the official narrative from Niamey is crumbling under scrutiny. Experts and border anomalies have exposed the Nigerien regime’s desperate attempts to conceal its involvement.

Niger’s border manipulations: a cover-up exposed

The claim that Niger played no part in Tigri’s escape is collapsing under the weight of undeniable evidence. French economist and former advisor to Niger, Olivier Vallée, dismantled the regime’s fabricated story by confirming that Tigri was indeed on Nigerien soil.

The timing of Niger’s border policies further implicates the junta. Authorities inexplicably opened borders the day before the Beninese coup attempt—only to slam them shut immediately after the operation failed. This calculated move suggests a deliberate effort to facilitate Tigri’s escape. Vallée’s findings reveal that Tigri first sought refuge in Niger before vanishing, possibly into the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), though he is no longer there.

While Vallée stops short of accusing Niamey of direct military support, the coincidental border maneuvers and Tigri’s presence point to local complicity—if not tacit protection—that the regime now scrambles to conceal.

Diplomatic hypocrisy: Niamey’s double game

The Nigerien government’s recent diplomatic overtures, including the staged presence of Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine at Benin’s presidential inauguration, aimed to project an image of reconciliation. Yet these efforts ring hollow when stacked against undeniable facts.

With Benin offering a 20 million FCFA reward for Tigri’s capture, Niger finds itself trapped in its own contradictions. The regime’s border manipulations and sheltering of the fugitive have laid bare its duplicity, threatening to derail the fragile diplomatic facade it so carefully constructed.