Planes hit by gunfire and blasts heard at airport in Niger capital – reports | Niger
Gunshots and loud explosions were heard at the main airport in Nigeria’s capital Niamey, according to Reuters news agency and an independent source.
An eyewitness told Reuters they heard explosions just after midnight. The airport is next to Base Aérienne 101, a military base formerly used by American and later Russian troops.
A source at Togolese airline Asky told the Guardian that gunfire had left multiple holes in the fuselages of two planes on the tarmac of Niamey airport. The staff were at their hotel at the time but were stranded in the country.
“They destroyed both planes… they left evidence at the scene,” the source said.
Air Cóte d’Ivoire spokeswoman Fofana Yacouba confirmed that a plane belonging to the Ivory Coast airline was also hit. “A notification is being prepared [about it]he told the Guardian by phone.
It is not yet known who fired the shots and whether there were any casualties. Authorities in Niger have not yet commented on the situation.
In July 2023, Niger’s presidential guard, led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, overthrew democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, marking what was then the seventh successful coup in West and Central Africa in three years. Since then, there has been at least one successful coup and two failed attempts in the region.
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 along with Mali and Burkina Faso (both were under military rule) in September 2023 to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Niger also expelled French and US forces, signaling a geopolitical realignment from its former traditional allies.
The country is still grappling with jihadism, as armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State and Al Qaeda continue to attack the tri-border region, particularly with Mali and Burkina Faso. Despite the junta’s promises to restore stability, the security situation has deteriorated significantly since the coup.
The Global Terrorism Index 2025 reported that Niger recorded the largest increase in terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2024, a 94 percent increase to a total of 930 deaths, the country’s worst ranking since the index’s inception.
