Explosions and Heavy Gunfire Heard Overnight Near Niger’s Main Airport in the Capital

9:45 AM EST, January 29, 2026

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — There were loud explosions and heavy gunfire overnight into Thursday morning near the main airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, residents said, leading to fears of a likely attack by armed groups in the conflict-hit country.

Videos that appear to be from the scene captured loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport, which houses a Nigerien military base.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos that also showed military trucks and fires.

It was not immediately confirmed what led to the explosions and gunshots or if there were casualties or damage.

One resident said he learned gunmen attacked the airport but were repelled by soldiers. The resident, who lives in the airport district, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of his life. The AP could not independently verify the resident’s account.

Regional analysts also suspected it was an attack that was targeting key facilities, mainly drones, at the military base. The country recently acquired several Turkish drones to boost its fight against jihadi militants, according to local media.

“Drones have become a game changer for both sides — army and jihadists — so the attackers wanted to eliminate the latest Turkish arms deliveries,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

West African airline Air Côte d’Ivoire said one of its aircraft, parked on the tarmac of the Niamey airport, was hit during the gunfire, resulting in impacts to the aircraft’s fuselage and right wing. In a statement on Facebook, it shared photos that appear to show damage caused by bullets and said the incident could lead to adjustments to its flight schedule.

By Thursday morning, calm had returned to the city and there was heavy security presence along major roads leading to the airport.

Niger’s military government, which has run the country since a 2023 coup, did not immediately speak about the incident.

Niger has struggled to contain deadly jihadi violence that has battered parts of Africa’s Sahel region, where neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali also are run by military juntas.

In 2025, al-Qaida and Islamic State group-backed militants escalated their campaigns in the Sahel, further threatening the stability of the fragile region and of Niger, which was the key security ally of the West in the region until the 2023 coup.

Under the military government, however, the country has seen a surge in attacks in different regions and has become more vulnerable to the armed groups, experts say.