Gunfire broke out early Thursday near the entrance of Niger’s main international airport in the capital, Niamey, raising fresh security concerns months after a major jihadist attack targeted the facility.
Residents told AFP that the shooting began around 6:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and continued for several hours.
“I heard the first shots around 6 o’clock. The shooting was coming from the airport entrance and was continuing two hours later,” one resident said by telephone.
Another resident also confirmed that the gunfire appeared to be coming from the entrance area of the airport.
Authorities had not immediately provided details on the cause of the shooting or whether there were any casualties.
The incident comes just months after Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport was targeted in an unprecedented attack in January. The assault was later claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) and was repelled by Nigerien security forces with support from allied Russian fighters.
The January attack marked a significant escalation in security threats facing the capital, as jihadist violence had previously been concentrated in other regions of the country.
In the aftermath of that assault, authorities demolished thousands of illegally constructed homes in a large neighbourhood near the airport. Officials said militants had infiltrated the area and used it to help carry out the attack.
Niger has been battling insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for more than a decade. The violence has affected large parts of the country and contributed to instability across the wider Sahel region.
Security forces are expected to investigate Thursday’s shooting as concerns grow over the continued threat posed by armed extremist groups in the region.
