Gunfire at Niamey Airport: Army Repels Overnight Assault

Thu Jun 18 2026 20:09:19 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Gunfire and explosions rattled Niamey’s Diori Hamani Airport early Thursday, but the Niger Army halted the attack and is pursuing the gunmen.

In the early morning of Thursday, residents heard gunfire and explosions at Niamey’s international airport. Witnesses reported that shots began at 06:00 local time and that the gunfire, lasting about two hours, came from the airport entrance. The incident followed a January assault on the same airfield. The Nigerien army claims to have repelled the attack and identified fleeing gunmen, though no group has claimed responsibility. The incident underscores the ongoing Islamist insurgency that has plagued Niger for a decade, prompting recent security upgrades including a perimeter fence and over 350 cameras.

Early on Thursday, gunfire and explosions shook Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport, startling residents who were at nearby mosques and homes.

"I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 local time while I was at the mosque," one witness told the BBC. The shooting, which lasted roughly two hours, was said to have originated from the airport’s main entrance.

The incident comes a year after a suspected jihadist assault on the same airbase. In that January attack, the Niger Defence Ministry confirmed that four military personnel were injured and 20 attackers killed, with an Islamic State affiliate claiming responsibility.

Despite the lack of a claim for Thursday’s attack, the Nigerien army says it repelled the assault and is now tracking down gunmen who allegedly fled with the weapons they abandoned.

Adding to growing security concerns, the military government has recently demolished neighbourhoods close to the airport, citing “terrorist risks,” and extended the airport’s perimeter fence while installing more than 350 surveillance cameras.

The latest volley of violence underscores Niger’s ongoing struggle against Islamist insurgency, a conflict that has destabilised the region for over a decade and prompted a military junta to take firm control.