Gunfire erupts at Niamey airport in Niger as security tensions persist months after jihadist attack

Gunfire erupted early Thursday morning at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger's capital, residents told AFP. Shots were heard around 6am (0500 GMT) from the airport entrance and continued for at least two hours. This incident comes several months after an unprecedented January attack on the same facility claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) and repelled by Nigerien forces with allied Russian fighters. Following the January attack, authorities demolished thousands of illegally constructed homes in a neighborhood near the airport, claiming jihadists had infiltrated the area to carry out that assault. Niger, a large West African Sahel nation, has been battling violence from Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked armed groups for over a decade, with security incidents previously concentrated in other regions before spreading to the capital. The Thursday gunfire underscores ongoing security challenges in the region, raising concerns about cross-border implications for neighboring Nigeria and broader West Africa.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/06/18/gunfire-erupts-near-nigers-capital-airport/