Thirty-five killed in armed attack at Niger airport

2026-06-19 07:59:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Thirty-five people have been killed after gunmen attacked Niger's largest airport on Thursday, officials say - the second attack in less than five months.

Residents in the Muslim-majority country told the BBC that they had just finished morning prayers when explosions and gunfire were heard from Diori Hamani International Airport, located in the capital Niamey.

Niger's Defense Ministry said the victims included 22 attackers, 11 soldiers and two civilians.

On Thursday evening, the Al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Niger has been fighting an Islamist insurgency for a decade, and in January, an organization affiliated with the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on the same airport.

Thursday's violence subsided by mid-morning and security forces have launched a search for any remaining attackers.

Lawalli Tsalha, who lives near the airport, which also houses a military base, told the BBC: "We finished our prayer at around 05:50 (04:50 GMT) and shortly after we heard a loud noise - as if something had burst, maybe a tire."

"It was only a little later that we realized what was happening."

Authorities said that in addition to the 22 attackers who were killed, four others were wounded. They added that 20 suspects had been arrested.

A large quantity of weapons was also reportedly seized, including RPG-7 launchers, AK-47 rifles, explosives, grenades, communications equipment and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Armed locals joined the search, although witnesses told the BBC that security personnel tried to prevent civilians from getting involved.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said: "The attackers mixed with the local population, so finding them was not easy. Civilians took machetes and sticks to defend themselves and hit anyone they didn't know who came their way."

The area around the airport was cordoned off on Thursday afternoon, with security forces checking vehicles entering and leaving the area.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, "strongly condemned" the attack and praised the Nigerian forces, whose actions "made it possible to repel the attack and secure the airport premises."

Diori Hamani International Airport is one of the most sensitive security installations in Niger, serving as both a civil aviation hub and a military base.

There are also facilities linked to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Niger and its neighbors, Mali and Burkina Faso.

All three countries are ruled by juntas that came to power in part because of a failure to confront years of jihadist violence in the region.

In the January attack on the airport, four military personnel were injured and 20 attackers were killed, Niger's defense ministry said.

At the time, the head of Niger's military government, which has been in power for three years, thanked Russia for its help in thwarting the attack. Abdourahamane Tiani also accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast of supporting those responsible.

He did not provide details on what assistance Russia had provided, nor did he provide any evidence to support his accusations against other countries.

In recent weeks, authorities in Niger have demolished neighborhoods near the airport, citing "terrorist risks."

They have also expanded the airport's perimeter fence and installed more than 350 surveillance cameras, AFP reports.