Heavy security has been deployed around the main airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, after overnight gunfire and explosions that the country’s military ruler blamed without evidence on France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.
The shooting and detonations began shortly after midnight on Wednesday, according to residents of a neighbourhood near the airport, which is next to Base Aérienne 101, a military base previously used by US and then Russian troops.
Calm returned about an hour later, the residents told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Videos filmed by local people showed streaks of light in the sky and the sound of loud explosions, while other images showed flames several metres high and charred cars.
On state television, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who seized power in a 2023 coup, accused the presidents of France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire of sponsoring the attack, and vowed retaliation.
“We have heard them bark, they should be ready to hear us roar,” he said, signalling further worsening of relationship between the Sahel nation and the neighbouring countries he sees as French proxies in the region, and its former colonial power.
The offices of the presidents of France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire could not be immediately reached for comment.
Several observers indicated it was probably a jihadist strike. The country is grappling with armed groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida affiliates who have been launching attacks on the tri-border region with Mali and Burkina Faso in particular.
Tiani also thanked the Russian troops stationed at the base for “defending their sector”.
Since seizing power, the military rulers in Niamey, like the military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, have cut ties with western powers and turned to Moscow for military support to tackle the insurgencies.
Niger state television reported that one of the several assailants killed was a French national, as footage showed several bloodied bodies on the ground. It provided no evidence.
A source with the Togolese airline Asky told the Guardian that gunshots had made several holes in the fuselage of its two planes on the tarmac of Niamey airport. Staff were at their hotel at the time but remained stranded in the country. “They destroyed both aircraft … They left evidence at the scene,” the source said.
Yacouba Fofana, a spokesperson for Air Côte d’Ivoire, confirmed that one of the airline’s aircraft had also been hit. “A communique is being prepared [about it],” he said.
It remained unclear who had fired the shots or whether there were any casualties. Satellite images published early on Thursday showed areas with signs of scorched earth near the airport’s runway.
Authorities in Niger, a junta-run country in west Africa’s Sahel region regularly hit by jihadist violence, have yet to comment on the situation.
On Thursday, a heavy security presence blocked the perimeter of the airport and, in particular, access to the military base on the site. But in most parts of Niamey, people were going about their lives normally.
“Over the last few days, there have been warnings of an imminent risk of an attack, but it’s not clear if it was going to come from the two main groups active in the country,” Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the consultancy Control Risks, told AFP. “But they have been building their presence in areas near Niamey.”
Ochieng said the incident could align with the wider cause claimed by the al-Qaida-affiliate Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) “to continue targeting [the] security establishment, high-profile establishment as a way of delegitimising the juntas”.
Last weekend, JNIM claimed responsibility for destroying an army vehicle with an improvised explosive device several kilometres east of Niamey.
In July 2023, Niger’s presidential guard, led by Tchiani, overthrew the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, marking the seventh successful coup in west and central Africa in three years at that point. There has been at least one successful coup and two failed attempts in the region since then.
The junta suspended the constitution and faced international condemnation and aid cuts. After the Economic Community of West African States imposed sanctions and threatened military intervention, Niger withdrew from the regional bloc alongside Mali and Burkina Faso – both also under military rule – to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023. Niger also expelled French and US forces, signalling a geopolitical realignment away from former traditional allies.
The security situation has deteriorated significantly since the coup despite the junta’s promises to restore stability.
The Global Terrorism Index 2025 reports that Niger recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2024, rising by 94% to a total of 930 deaths, the country’s worst ranking since the index began.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report