The Nigerien capital Niamey has been plunged into anxiety as gunfire and loud explosions rang out overnight near the Sahel country’s main airport.
Authorities have not offered any explanation, and no casualties have been officially reported.
Heavy gunfire and powerful explosions were heard overnight Wednesday into Thursday around Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, before calm was reported early Thursday morning, according to witnesses and news agencies.
According to a witness interviewed by Reuters, sustained bursts of gunfire and loud explosions were heard around midnight (GMT) near the airport, and a video shared on the social media platform X showed flashes in
the night sky caused by the gunfire.
The authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified.
No spokesperson for the Nigerien military government immediately responded to requests for comment.
Residents also reported that the exchanges of gunfire or explosions lasted approximately two hours, causing concern and disruption in neighbourhoods near the flashpoint.
The situation later returned to calm, with military forces placed on high alert, according to the Xinhua news agency.
AFP’s version, corroborated by several media outlets, specifies that the explosions and gunfire ceased after a few hours around 2:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. GMT), but no official explanation or casualty figures have been provided by the authorities at this stage.
Only images shared by residents show luminous trails in the sky and flames near the airport; these images have not been independently verified.
Niamey airport, located about ten kilometers from the presidential palace, houses a Nigerien air force base and significant military installations, making it a sensitive area in the context of recurring jihadist violence in the country and the region.
Since July 2023, Niger has been ruled by a military regime following a coup against President Mohamed Bazoum.
Since then, the country has formed, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, the Confederation of Sahel States, renouncing its military alliances with Western powers, such as France and the United States.
AC/fss/as/APA