Gunfire, Explosions Rock Niger's Capital as Army Responds

• Gunfire and explosions were heard at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital, early on Thursday, 18 June 2026
• The attack, which lasted two hours, was repelled by the army, which is now hunting down fleeing assailants who reportedly abandoned their weapons
• Niger has suffered a previous attack on the same airport in January 2026, which an affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for

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Gunfire and explosions rocked the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, on Thursday morning, with the shooting beginning at approximately 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and lasting for two hours.

Residents confirmed the army repelled the attack and is now pursuing the fleeing assailants, who reportedly abandoned their weapons.

According to BBC Africa, the gunfire came from the entrance of the airport, and a witness told AFP that the situation is now under control. The authorities have not yet commented, and no group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s assault.

Eyewitness Account: Attack Began at Dawn

One resident described the moment the attack started:

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“I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT) while I was at the mosque. But the current situation is under control.”

The army has since been hunting down the assailants, who fled the scene and abandoned their weapons after being repelled.

January Attack: Context and Casualties

Thursday’s incident is not the first assault on the same airport. In January 2026, suspected jihadists launched an attack on Diori Hamani International Airport, which Niger’s defence ministry said resulted in four military personnel injured and 20 attackers killed.

An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that January assault. At the time, the head of Niger’s military government, Abdourahamane Tiani, thanked Russia for its help in foiling the attack and accused the presidents of France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of backing those responsible.

Niger has been battling an Islamist insurgency for a decade. Like its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, the country is governed by a military junta that came to power partly due to the previous government’s failure to contain the violence. The junta has now been in power for three years

Five dead as military aircraft crashes

In another story, five members of the Indian Air Force lost their lives after a military transport aircraft crashed during a flight operation in the northeastern state of Assam.

The aircraft, an Antonov An-32, went down in the Jorhat area while carrying out what the Air Force described as a routine mission.