Explosions, Gunfire Rock Niger’s Capital Niamey, Airport Amid Attempted Government Takeover
Security forces said attackers hit the airport, presidency perimeter and Base 101 before being pushed back, with gunfire and explosions reported across the capital.
- On Saturday, sustained gunfire and explosions rocked Niamey, Niger's capital, as a security source reported that "terrorists" attacked Diori Hamani International Airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidency.
- Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger's Bureau of the Consultative Council, said attackers targeted Base 101, a major military installation, and that security forces regained control of the situation.
- A second security source told Reuters that attackers had been "neutralised" while others fled, though Reuters could not immediately verify the claims following search operations launched by security forces.
- General Abdourahamane Tiani's junta has governed Niger since ousting President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, while the nation joined Mali and Burkina Faso in the Alliance of Sahel States to counter Islamist insurgencies.
- Deadly attacks killed at least 44 civilians in Niger earlier in 2026, illustrating persistent Sahelian violence despite military rulers pledging to improve security against ongoing jihadi insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
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The Niger Army is in a state of maximum alert after a chaotic night of explosions and shootings in several strategic areas of the country's capital, Niamey, such as the airport or the immediate vicinity of the Presidential Palace, without any official information from the military junta led by the coup general Abdurahamán Tchiani.Continue reading....
The area adjacent to the airport hosts military base 101, as well as the headquarters of the Russian partners Africa Corps and the Italian Support Mission in Niger.
Shots, explosions and heavy-arm fire were heard at night in different parts of the city
In Niamey, the capital of Niger, on Saturday night, sounds of explosions and shootings were heard, reporting to the African media.
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