At least eleven soldiers and two civilians lost their lives in Niger’s capital Niamey on Thursday morning during a fresh assault by suspected jihadists on the city’s airport. The attack comes just six months after a similar large-scale offensive claimed by the Islamic State group against the same facility. Niger has been under military rule for nearly three years, and the junta continues to struggle against persistent jihadist violence across the country. In late January, the Niamey airport and the adjoining military base had already come under a hours-long assault that was repelled by the Nigerien army with support from Russian partners.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence read on national television, the attackers, some of whom wore explosive belts, attempted to force their way into the airport terminal. However, the swift intervention of security forces prevented them from reaching the terminal. The provisional toll from what the ministry called a treacherous incursion stands at 13 martyrs on the friendly side: 11 defence and security forces members and two civilians, plus four wounded. On the enemy side, 22 assailants were neutralised and about twenty suspects were arrested. The ministry added that a large-scale operation by defence and security forces is underway, that the situation is under control, and that the international airport remains fully secured and open to air traffic. Nevertheless, Flightradar, a specialised tracking site, showed several flights bound for Niamey had been diverted or delayed.
Sensitive site
Residents reported that the first gunfire erupted around 06:00 (05:00 GMT) and lasted at least two hours. The shooting occurred at a checkpoint on the only road leading to the airport, just a few hundred metres from the terminal entrance. An airport source told our team that the armed assailants arrived at the police checkpoint in taxis and met fierce resistance from security forces. By around 10:00 (09:00 GMT) calm had returned to the area, and the source added that the attackers scattered into nearby neighbourhoods, where security forces are conducting extensive sweep operations. Many assailants were shot dead, while others were captured with the help of the local population, a taxi-moto driver in the area confirmed.
This incident comes less than six months after the January 29 attack that shocked Niger, marking the first time jihadists had struck the capital’s airport. That earlier assault left four wounded and caused significant material damage, according to authorities. The site is considered sensitive because between December and January it held a large shipment of uranium concentrate awaiting export. No movement of that cargo has been reported since. General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the military regime that seized power in a July 2023 coup, had previously acknowledged a flaw in the security setup that enabled the January attack, whose aim, he said, was to destroy all of the army’s air capabilities. In recent weeks, the regime launched a major campaign to demolish neighbourhoods around the airport and took other security measures: the perimeter wall was extended and more than 350 cameras were installed both inside and outside the airport grounds.
