NIAMEY, Niger – Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight near a major military base and the international airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, residents and security sources said early Saturday.
Witnesses reported heavy shooting and blasts around Base 101, a key military installation located within the complex of Diori Hamani International Airport. The sounds also carried to areas near the presidential palace and other parts of the city.
A security source told Reuters that “terrorists” had attacked the airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidency. Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Bureau of the Consultative Council, wrote on Facebook that attackers targeted Base 101 but that security forces had regained control, describing it as “another cowardly attack” and stating the situation was under control.
A second security source said forces launched search operations, with some attackers “neutralised” and others fleeing. Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Gunfire was reported to have resumed around the airport in the early hours.
No official statement had been issued by Niger’s military authorities as of Saturday morning, and no confirmed casualty figures or details on damage were immediately available. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show armored vehicles deployed near the airport area.
The airport complex and Base 101 have been targeted multiple times this year by jihadist groups. The site was hit in January in an attack claimed by Islamic State affiliates and again in June by the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
Niger has been under military rule since a July 2023 coup that ousted elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The junta has struggled to contain persistent jihadist violence linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates across the Sahel region, despite forming the Alliance of Sahel States with Mali and Burkina Faso.
