Sustained heavy gunfire and loud explosions have been heard in Niger near the international airport outside the capital, Niamey. Multiple eyewitness accounts and videos indicated air defense systems engaging unidentified projectiles in the early hours of Thursday.
The situation later calmed down, reports say, with an official reportedly stating the situation was under control but without elaboration. It remains unclear what caused the blasts or if there were any casualties as no official statement from the military government has been issued.
Witnesses report that the disturbances began shortly after midnight. Residents near the Diori Hamani International Airport described calm returning after approximately two hours.
One local resident reported gunfire directed at planes from outside the airport and expressed fear at the situation, with others sharing stories of their alarm as their homes shook from the blasts. Unconfirmed reports suggested assailants had launched explosives towards the airport area and exchanged fire with security forces.
Following these events, several flights bound for Niamey were diverted. Heavy security was deployed around the airport on Thursday morning, and the government indicated they were investigating whether the incidents were connected to the ongoing controversy surrounding a significant uranium shipment at the airport, caught in a legal standoff with France after the nationalization of the country’s uranium mines.
In a statement, a foreign affairs ministry official declared, 'The situation is under control. There is no need to worry,' while also asserting ongoing efforts to ascertain the reasons behind the gunfire.
Niger has been in a state of turbulence since a military coup in recent years that ousted the elected president, and like its neighbors, is grappling with the insurgency threats posed by jihadists. The area surrounding the airport, which also hosts a military base, is strategically significant as it lies within close proximity to the presidential palace.
The situation later calmed down, reports say, with an official reportedly stating the situation was under control but without elaboration. It remains unclear what caused the blasts or if there were any casualties as no official statement from the military government has been issued.
Witnesses report that the disturbances began shortly after midnight. Residents near the Diori Hamani International Airport described calm returning after approximately two hours.
One local resident reported gunfire directed at planes from outside the airport and expressed fear at the situation, with others sharing stories of their alarm as their homes shook from the blasts. Unconfirmed reports suggested assailants had launched explosives towards the airport area and exchanged fire with security forces.
Following these events, several flights bound for Niamey were diverted. Heavy security was deployed around the airport on Thursday morning, and the government indicated they were investigating whether the incidents were connected to the ongoing controversy surrounding a significant uranium shipment at the airport, caught in a legal standoff with France after the nationalization of the country’s uranium mines.
In a statement, a foreign affairs ministry official declared, 'The situation is under control. There is no need to worry,' while also asserting ongoing efforts to ascertain the reasons behind the gunfire.
Niger has been in a state of turbulence since a military coup in recent years that ousted the elected president, and like its neighbors, is grappling with the insurgency threats posed by jihadists. The area surrounding the airport, which also hosts a military base, is strategically significant as it lies within close proximity to the presidential palace.
