Loud explosions and heavy gunfire were reported at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger Republic’s capital, early Thursday, sparking fears of a coordinated attack on the strategic military facility. The airport also reportedly houses uranium shipments awaiting export.
Residents told the Associated Press that gunmen attacked the airport but were repelled by soldiers after an exchange of fire.
While the Nigerien military junta has yet to issue an official statement, calm was said to have returned to the city later in the morning.
Casualties and the extent of damage could not be independently verified. Niger continues to battle persistent jihadist violence across the Sahel, a region already destabilised by insurgency in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, both also under military rule.
