Tension as gunfire erupts at Niger Republic airport

Residents in Niamey reported that gunshots were heard early Thursday at the city’s airport, heightening renewed concerns over security at the facility, roughly five months after a previous jihadist attack.

The incident comes as Niger continues to battle insecurity under its military leadership, which has spent the past three years trying to curb assaults linked to armed groups operating across the region.

In January, the Diori Hamani International Airport and a nearby military drone base were attacked in an operation claimed by Islamic State in the Sahel, highlighting ongoing threats around key infrastructure in the capital.

Nigerien armed forces and their Russian allies repelled the strike, which was a rare development since violence had previously been contained to other parts of the vast Sahel country.

“I heard the first shots around 6 o’clock (0500 GMT). The shooting was coming from the airport entrance,” a resident told AFP by telephone on Thursday.

He said firing was still ongoing two hours later.

Another resident confirmed the gunfire was coming from the airport entrance, where there is a security checkpoint.

A number of residents said a large military presence had been put in place at the airport.

Twenty assailants were killed and four soldiers wounded in the surprise assault on January 29, which caused damage, authorities said.

The head of the ruling junta, Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a coup in July 2023, said on state television “a flaw in the system” had “enabled the attack”, whose aim, he said, “was to destroy all of the air capabilities” of the army.

In recent weeks, the authorities have started tearing down thousands of illegally built homes next to Niamey airport.

They alleged the shanty towns had been infiltrated by jihadists.

The demolitions affected 26,000 people living in four neighbourhoods that occupy nearly a quarter of the airport area, authorities said.

The airport perimeter fence has been extended and more than 350 security cameras installed inside and outside the perimeter.

Niger and its military-ruled allies in West Africa — Burkina Faso and Mali — have faced a decade of violence attributed to jihadists.

They have moved away from former colonial power France and sought support from other partners, such as Iran, Turkey and Russia.