Gunfire and explosions heard near military base in Niger's capital

What the report says

Gunfire and explosions were reported overnight in Niger’s capital, Niamey, near a military base at the city’s international airport, according to residents cited by France 24 and AFP. Witnesses said the shooting was heard around Base 101, while social media posts and videos circulating online suggested armored vehicles were sent to reinforce the area. As of the report, the source of the violence had not been confirmed and no official statement had been released.

The airport base has been a repeated target this year. France 24 noted that jihadists struck the site in January and again in late June, underscoring the continuing threat facing Niger’s security forces. Those earlier attacks were blamed on rival groups operating in the Sahel: the Islamic State in the Sahel and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, the Sahel branch of al-Qaida.

The episode comes as Niger remains under military rule following the 2023 coup, with the junta still struggling to curb militant violence that has affected the country for about a decade. More broadly, the report places Niger within a wider regional security crisis shared with Burkina Faso and Mali, where armed groups remain active despite the governments’ break with Western partners and closer alignment with Russia.