Gunfire broke out near Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital, sending residents into panic and reviving fears of renewed jihadist activity around one of the country’s most sensitive strategic sites.
Witnesses reported sustained shooting from the direction of the main airport entrance in the early morning hours. One resident living in a nearby district said by telephone that the first shots rang out shortly after dawn and continued for some time, describing the sound as “heavy and repeated,” suggesting the use of automatic weapons.
Another local resident confirmed that the gunfire appeared to be concentrated around the airport access road, a heavily guarded zone that also hosts military facilities and key logistical infrastructure for Niger’s security forces and foreign partners.
The incident comes only months after an unprecedented assault on the same airport claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel, a regional branch of the Islamic State group. In that earlier attack, fighters attempted to breach the perimeter of the airport complex before being repelled by Nigerien troops backed by Russian military personnel deployed under security agreements with the ruling junta.
That assault marked a turning point for Niamey. For years, jihadist violence in Niger had largely been confined to the western border areas near Mali and Burkina Faso and to the southeastern region bordering Nigeria, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province operate. The capital had been considered relatively insulated from direct attacks, even as the wider Sahel region descended into chronic insecurity.
In the wake of the January airport attack, authorities launched a sweeping security operation around Niamey. Thousands of informal homes and makeshift structures were demolished in a sprawling neighbourhood adjacent to the airport, with officials arguing that militants had infiltrated the area to prepare and stage the assault. Human rights groups and local activists criticised the demolitions as collective punishment that left many families homeless, while the government defended the measures as necessary to secure a vital national asset.
Niger, a vast, landlocked country at the heart of the Sahel, has spent the past decade battling armed groups linked to both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Coups, shifting foreign alliances and the withdrawal or downsizing of Western forces have further complicated efforts to contain insurgent movements that exploit porous borders, local grievances and weak state presence in rural areas.
As news of the latest gunfire spread, questions mounted over whether the incident signalled another attempted attack or a clash involving security forces. Authorities did not immediately provide details on casualties, arrests or the identity of those involved, but the episode underscores the fragility of security even in the capital’s most protected zones.
