Heavy gunfire and explosions were reported across Niger’s capital, Niamey, early Saturday, as suspected militants attacked the international airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidential complex.
A security source said the attackers targeted Diori Hamani International Airport, which shares a complex with the military’s Base 101, before moving against the area surrounding the presidency.
A witness reported intense gunfire near the presidential compound, while explosions and shooting continued around the airport during the pre-dawn hours.
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Consultative Council and a lawmaker in the Alliance of Sahel States parliament, said security forces had regained control of Base 101.
“Another cowardly attack on Base 101, and once again our defence and security forces ensured the situation was under control,” Ibrahim wrote on Facebook.
However, further gunfire and powerful explosions were heard after his statement was published, suggesting that fighting may have continued in parts of the capital.
A second security source said forces had launched sweeping operations across Niamey, killing several attackers while others fled. The claims could not be independently verified, and Niger’s military government did not immediately issue an official statement.
Saturday’s violence marked the third major security incident this year involving the airport and adjoining military base, highlighting the persistent instability confronting Niger’s military-led authorities.
Niger has been ruled by General Abdourahamane Tiani’s military government since the July 2023 coup that removed elected president Mohamed Bazoum. The junta took power after promising to restore security, but the country continues to battle armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
Al-Qaeda’s West African affiliate claimed responsibility for an attack on Niamey airport in June, five months after the same facility was targeted by Daesh’s Sahel branch.
Since taking power, Niger’s military leadership has severed or reduced cooperation with Western partners, strengthened relations with Russia and withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States. Niger has instead joined Mali and Burkina Faso in the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States.
The latest unrest also comes as the government expands its control over Niger’s strategically important uranium industry. Authorities recently reassigned uranium permits previously held by France’s Orano and Canada’s GoviEx to state-backed companies.
Niger is a significant producer of uranium, oil and gold and had previously supplied a substantial share of the nuclear fuel used by European countries.
