Gunfire and blasts hit Niger capital, attackers target airport and presidential palace

NIAMEY, Niger — Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard across several districts of Niamey in the early hours of Saturday after armed attackers targeted the city's Diori Hamani International Airport and tried to breach the security perimeter around the presidential palace, according to a security source who spoke to Reuters. The source said the assailants moved on the airport, while a separate security source told the agency that security forces have launched search operations in the area, with some of the attackers killed and others reported to have fled. Bana Wadjana Ibrahim, a member of the consultative council of the Alliance of Sahel States parliament, said in a social media post that a key military installation in Niamey known as Base 101 had been targeted but that security forces had regained control. A Reuters correspondent in the city reported sustained gunfire around the presidential palace and ongoing clashes near the airport. The military government in Niger had not issued an official statement as of publication. The army has ruled the country under General Abdourahamane Tchiani since the July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. No further details on casualties or the perpetrators were immediately available.