Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Sustained gunfire and explosions rocked the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger's capital on Thursday, June 18, 2026, sending residents into a panic and prompting a swift military response, barely five months after a major jihadist assault targeted the same facility, AFP and multiple news agencies reported.
The shooting began at about 6:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) and continued for more than two hours, according to witnesses who spoke to the BBC and AFP. A resident told the BBC: “I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 while I was at the mosque. But the current situation is under control.” Another resident, who confirmed the gunfire was coming from the airport entrance where a security checkpoint is located, told AFP that firing continued for several hours. A taxi-motorcycle driver later told AFP that the situation had calmed by mid-morning. “No more shots can be heard in the airport; the situation is under control,” he said, adding that the military had conducted sweep operations in neighbourhoods around the airport.
The attack occurred at a site that also hosts Niger's Air Force Base 101 and military installations linked to the Confederation of Sahel States. It was the second assault on the airport this year. In January 2026, the Diori Hamani International Airport and an adjoining military drone base were targeted in a large-scale attack claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS). During that assault, Nigerien armed forces and their Russian allies repelled the attackers, with authorities confirming 20 assailants killed and four soldiers wounded. The head of Niger's ruling junta, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a July 2023 coup, had described the earlier incident as “a flaw in the system” that enabled the attackers, whose aim was to destroy the army's air capabilities.
Following Thursday's incident, no group has claimed responsibility, and authorities had not issued an official statement as of the time of this report. However, a witness told the BBC that the army had repelled the attack and was hunting down fleeing assailants, who reportedly abandoned their weapons. Residents in the Route Tchanga neighbourhood near the airport reportedly joined the search for the attackers, with some using sticks and machetes, according to an AFP report.
The attack comes despite recent efforts by authorities to bolster security around the airport. In recent weeks, the government began demolishing thousands of illegally built homes adjacent to the airport, alleging that the shanty towns had been infiltrated by jihadists. The demolitions affected approximately 26,000 people living in four neighbourhoods occupying nearly a quarter of the airport area. Authorities also extended the airport's perimeter fence and installed more than 350 surveillance cameras inside and outside the facility.
Niger, like its military-ruled neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, has struggled for a decade to contain a violent insurgency by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The violence has killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel region. The junta, which came to power in part due to the failure to address the security crisis, has moved away from its former colonial power France and sought support from Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
As of Thursday morning, traffic on major roads in Niamey remained normal, and no visible reinforcement of security forces was observed around the airport area, according to a Xinhua correspondent on the ground. However, a resident who had been scheduled to travel on Thursday told AFP that soldiers at the airport explained that it was not possible to take any flights. No casualties have been officially reported from the latest attack, and the operational status of the airport remains unconfirmed.
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