Deadly assault at Niamey airport claims 13 lives in Niger

A recent attack by suspected jihadists on Niamey’s airport, the capital of Niger, resulted in the tragic deaths of at least eleven soldiers and two civilians. This marks a significant security incident, occurring just six months after a previous major offensive against the same facility, which was claimed by the Islamic State group. Niger has been under the governance of a military junta for nearly three years, a period characterized by persistent struggles to curb the escalating jihadist violence across the nation. The Niamey airport and its adjoining military base had previously come under extensive assault in late January, an attack that the Nigerien army, supported by its Russian partners, successfully repelled.

On Thursday morning, the perpetrators of the assault, some reportedly equipped with explosive belts, attempted a direct incursion into the Niamey airport terminal. However, the rapid and decisive intervention by security forces successfully thwarted the assailants’ efforts to penetrate the terminal building, as communicated by the Ministry of Defense in a statement read on national television.

The preliminary assessment of this treacherous incursion indicates a grim toll: 13 lives were lost among friendly forces, comprising 11 members of the defense and security forces and 2 civilians, with an additional 4 individuals wounded. On the side of the attackers, 22 assailants were neutralized, and approximately twenty suspects were taken into custody. The Ministry further elaborated that a comprehensive sweep by defense and security forces is currently in progress, confirming that “the situation is under control” and that “the international airport, now fully secured, remains operational for air traffic.” Despite these assurances, the specialized tracking website Flightradar reported that several flights bound for Niamey experienced diversions or delays.

According to residents interviewed on Thursday morning, the initial bursts of gunfire began around 6:00 AM (05:00 GMT) and continued for at least two hours. The exchanges occurred near a checkpoint, strategically positioned on the sole road providing access to the airport, mere hundreds of meters from the terminal entrance. An airport source revealed that the armed assailants approached the police barricade “in taxis” before being met with “fierce resistance” from the security forces. By approximately 10:00 AM (09:00 GMT), tranquility had returned to the vicinity. The same airport source indicated that the attackers had “dispersed into the surrounding neighborhoods, where security forces are now conducting extensive search and sweep operations.”

“Many attackers were killed, and others were apprehended with the help of the local populace,” stated the airport source, a detail corroborated by a taxi-moto driver in the area. This latest incident occurs less than six months after the January 29 assault, an event that profoundly shocked Niger as it marked the first time the capital’s airport had been targeted by jihadists. That earlier attack, according to authorities, resulted in four injuries and significant material damage. The site is considered highly sensitive, particularly as it housed a substantial consignment of uranium concentrate between December and January, awaiting export. No subsequent movement of this valuable cargo has been recorded. General Abdourahamane Tiani, who leads the military regime established by a coup in July 2023, had previously acknowledged “a flaw in the system” that “enabled the attack,” noting that its primary objective was to “destroy all aerial capabilities” of the army.

In the preceding weeks, the regime had initiated a large-scale campaign to clear out neighborhoods surrounding the airport and implemented additional security enhancements. These measures included extending the perimeter wall and installing more than 350 surveillance cameras, both inside and outside the airport’s perimeter.