Gunmen Attack Airport in Niger’s Capital
Witnesses said gunfire lasted nearly two hours and security forces blocked the area as authorities gave no immediate claim of responsibility.
- Explosions and sustained gunfire erupted early Thursday at Diori Hamani International Airport and the adjacent military airbase in Niamey, Niger, in what a security official described as an apparent attack on the facility.
- Niger has struggled to contain deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and The Islamic State, which have killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel region, including neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso.
- This incident marks the second attack at the facility this year; The Islamic State-affiliate claimed responsibility for a January assault, stating it "delivered a direct blow" to the Sahel country's counterinsurgency operations and wounding four soldiers.
- Security forces blocked off the area following the breach, while an Associated Press journalist reported soldiers searching individuals on the road; there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack.
- Nigerien military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani previously accused leaders of France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of sponsoring the January violence, though he provided no evidence to support these assertions regarding the Sahel nation's security challenges.
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The port of call of Niamey returns under attack after the Islamist offensive of January, confirming the vulnerability of the Sahelian joints
Niger: Gunfire Reported Around Niamey Airport
Gunfire was reported on the morning of Thursday, June 18, 2026, around Niamey International Airport in Niger. According to several corroborating sources, the shooting lasted for nearly two hours before the situation gradually returned to calm.
Niger has been led for nearly three years by a junta that struggles to stem the jihadist violence that has hit the country.
“More than a dozen people” attempted to force their way into Niger’s capital airport on Thursday, June 18, according to information from Le Monde, but were unsuccessful. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but, like the one in January, it is believed to have been carried out by jihadists.
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