Gunfire, blasts heard in several areas of Niger capital Niamey
Shots were heard around the city’s Diori Hamani international airport and near the presidential palace.
Sustained gunfire and explosions rang out across several areas of Niger’s capital, Niamey, according to two Reuters witnesses, with the cause not immediately clear.
The incident early on Saturday is the third time the city, and specifically a complex housing the international airport and a military airbase, has experienced major unrest this year, underscoring persistent insecurity under the military-led government that seized power in a coup in 2023 and vowed to restore order.
A security source told Reuters that “terrorists” had attacked the city’s Diori Hamani international airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidential palace.
“There is heavy gunfire and explosions at Base 101 in Niamey,” one local resident told AFP, a report confirmed by several other witnesses, and referring to a major military installation in Niamey.
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Bureau of the Consultative Council and a deputy in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) parliament, said on Facebook that attackers had targeted Base 101 but that security forces had regained control.
“Another cowardly attack on Base 101 and once again our defence and security forces ensured… Situation under control,” Ibrahim wrote.
Reuters news agency could not immediately verify the claims made by the security source and Ibrahim.
A second security source told Reuters that security forces had launched search operations and that the attackers had been “neutralised”, with others fleeing.
The second witness said the gunfire had been heavy and persistent around the presidential palace.
Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport.
Niger’s national television station was also cut off following the overnight gunfire in Niamey, local residents told AFP.
At 08:00 GMT, a black screen had replaced Tele Sahel’s programming both via satellite and online. Soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television headquarters, residents added.
The Nigerien military urged people to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information, saying its defence and security forces had been mobilised.
Niamey airport has been targeted twice this year by armed groups, first by ISIL affiliate Islamic State in the Sahel in January and then by JNIM, the Sahel branch of al Qaeda, in June.
Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled by the military since a July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Since seizing power, General Abdourahamane Tchiani’s military government has shifted away from Western partners, deepened ties with Russia and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in AES, a breakaway from the regional ECOWAS bloc.
