The whereabouts of Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged mastermind behind the thwarted coup attempt in Bénin on December 7, 2025, remain unknown. Yet the veil of official declarations from Niamey has been irreparably torn apart. Expert revelations, combined with glaring border maneuvers, now lay bare the Niger regime’s strategy of concealment.
Niamey’s border manipulation: a strategy too obvious to deny
The claim that Niger had no involvement in Tigri’s escape is collapsing under the weight of undeniable facts. French economist and former technical advisor to Niger, Olivier Vallée, delivered a critical blow to the official narrative by confirming Tigri’s presence on Nigerien soil. His revelations expose not just a lie, but a deliberate and orchestrated deception.
Why did Nigerien authorities open borders wide on the eve of the coup attempt in Bénin, only to shut them abruptly the next day, once the operation failed? This suspicious timing reveals a calculated complicity. According to Vallée’s findings, Niger served as Tigri’s initial safe haven, where he organized his escape before vanishing toward other destinations. « As of now, he is no longer in Niger, » Vallée states. « He may be in the AES, but not in Niger. »
Though Vallée stops short of accusing the central administration of direct military support, the timing of the border manipulations and the fugitive’s shelter betray a clear local indulgence—if not outright covert protection—that Niamey is now frantically trying to obscure.
A diplomatic facade crumbling under scrutiny
These damning revelations cast a harsh light on Niger’s contradictory diplomatic posture. Just months ago, on May 24, the staged presence of Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine at the inauguration of Bénin’s new president, Romuald Wadagni, was meant to signal a fresh start in bilateral relations. Yet diplomacy cannot erase tangible evidence.
While Bénin’s police force offers a 20 million FCFA reward for Tigri’s capture, Niger finds itself trapped by its own inconsistencies. The suspicious border maneuvers and the temporary asylum provided to the fugitive have exposed the regime’s duplicity, threatening to derail what was always a superficial reconciliation effort.