Explosions and gunfire erupted near Niger’s main international airport in Niamey, raising fresh concerns about security around critical infrastructure. Witnesses described the Niamey airport attack as loud, intense and scary
A Reuters witness said the first blasts were heard at around 6am local time. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard nearly two hours later.
Residents living near the airport told reporters that security forces moved quickly to cordon off the area once the shooting began.
A security official told the Washington Post that gunmen had breached the airport’s perimeter before troops were sent in to repel them. The official was not authorised to speak publicly about the incident.
An Associated Press journalist reported seeing soldiers searching people along the road to the airport once the gunfire died down.
No group had claimed responsibility for the Niamey airport attack as of Thursday afternoon.
Niger’s government had also not issued any official statement on the Niamey airport attack by the time of publication.
It is still not clear who carried out the assault or whether anyone was hurt. These details could not be independently verified at the time of writing.
Thursday’s Niamey airport attack is the second on the facility this year.
In January, the Islamic State’s Sahel branch claimed a similar assault on the same airport, saying it had targeted air command headquarters and drone assets.
That earlier attack wounded four Nigerien soldiers and damaged several civilian aircraft, Niger’s defence ministry said at the time.
Diori Hamani International Airport sits about ten kilometres from the presidential palace in Niamey.
The airport also houses Air Base 101 and the headquarters of a joint military force run by Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
All three nations are led by military governments that took power through coups. Each has since pulled away from former Western allies, including France, in favour of closer security ties with Russia.
Niger has struggled for years to contain jihadist violence linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates.
The crisis has also battered neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, killing thousands and displacing millions across the wider Sahel region.
Security at the airport was tightened after January’s raid, though analysts have long warned that armed groups still operate with some freedom near the capital.
Diori Hamani International Airport also handles regular regional and international flights, linking Niamey to other West African capitals. Repeated incidents at the same site risk further unsettling airlines and insurers already cautious about operating across the Sahel.
The latest Niamey airport attack will again raise questions over how well Niger’s military government can protect critical infrastructure so close to the seat of power.
For a country that hosts Russian military personnel alongside its own forces, repeated breaches at the same site point to a persistent and unresolved security gap.
This report on the Niamey airport attack will be updated as further details emerge.
