A Nigerien air force Mi-17 transport helicopter has crashed in the city of Kantchari, located in eastern Burkina Faso near the border with Niger, on Monday morning. The helicopter was carrying military personnel and equipment to support the counter-terrorism operations in the region.
According to photographs published on social media, it appears that the Mi-17 hit its own rotor wash and subsequently impacted the ground hard, losing a blade and causing severe damage to the airframe. The number of casualties and the extent of the injuries are not yet confirmed by the authorities.
This is the second Mi-17 crash in Niger in less than a year. In January 2023, another Mi-17 transport helicopter crashed at an army base near Niger’s capital Niamey, killing the three crew members on board. The cause of the crash was attributed to a technical failure.
The Nigerien air force has been facing a shortage of transport and attack helicopters in recent years, hampering its ability to conduct effective anti-terrorism operations in the Sahel region, where Islamist militants affiliated with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have been active since 2015.
In 2020, the Nigerien military received at least three Mi-171Sh assault helicopters from Russia, in a deal worth $47 million. The Mi-171Sh is a variant of the Mi-17, designed for combat and transport missions. The helicopters arrived in Niamey on 24 February 2020, transported by an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft along with ammunition, spare parts and maintenance equipment.
However, the delivery of the Mi-171Sh helicopters did not significantly improve the Nigerien air force’s capabilities, as they were reportedly plagued by maintenance and operational issues. Moreover, the Mi-171Sh helicopters were not suitable for the hot and dusty conditions of the Sahel, which reduced their performance and reliability.
As of now, the Nigerien air force has only one operational Mi-17, along with three Gazelles (with two armed) and two AB 412 helicopters acquired from Italy in 2022. These helicopters are insufficient to meet the growing security challenges in the region, where ISGS has been responsible for numerous attacks on civilians and security forces, killing hundreds of people and displacing almost 30,000, according to the United Nations.
The Nigerien government has been seeking international assistance to bolster its air force, especially from France, which has a large military presence in the Sahel as part of Operation Barkhane, a regional counter-terrorism initiative. France has provided some logistical and intelligence support to Niger, but has not agreed to supply any helicopters or other military equipment.
The recent helicopter crash in Burkina Faso highlights the urgent need for the Nigerien air force to acquire more and better helicopters, as well as to improve its training and maintenance standards. Without adequate air support, the Nigerien military will continue to struggle to contain the threat of ISGS and other militant groups in the region.