Gunshots were heard around the city’s Diori Hamani International Airport and near the presidential palace. Published August 29, 2026 August 29, 2026 Sustained gunfire and explosions occurred in several areas of Niger’s capital Niamey, according to two Reuters witnesses, with the cause not immediately clear. A security source told Reuters that “terrorists” had attacked the city’s Diori Hamani international airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidential palace. “There is heavy gunfire and explosions at Base 101 in Niamey,” a local resident told AFP, a report confirmed by several other witnesses, and referring to a major military installation in Niamey. Wagana Ibrahim, a member of the Nigerien Consultative Council Office and member of parliament for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), said on Facebook that attackers had attacked Base 101 but that security forces had regained control. “Another cowardly attack on Base 101 and once again our defense and security forces ensured… the situation under control,” Ibrahim wrote. Reuters news agency could not immediately verify the claims made by the security source and Ibrahim. A security source told Reuters that security forces had launched search operations and that the attackers had been “neutralized” while others fled. The second witness said that the shooting had been intense and persistent around the presidential palace. Online videos showed armored vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighborhood near the airport. Niger’s national television station was also isolated following the overnight shooting in Niamey, local residents told AFP. By 08:00 GMT, a black screen had replaced Tele Sahel programming both via satellite and online. Soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television headquarters, residents added. The Nigerien military urged people to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information, saying its defense and security forces had been mobilized. Niamey airport has been attacked twice this year by armed groups, first by the ISIL-affiliated Islamic State in the Sahel in January and then by JNIM, the branch of Al Qaeda in the Sahel, in June. Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled by the military since a coup in July 2023 that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. Since taking power, General Abdourahamane Tchiani’s military government has distanced itself from its Western partners, deepened ties with Russia and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in AES, a breakaway from the ECOWAS regional bloc.
