Reports of gunfire near military base in Niger's capital

Residents of Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday reported hearing gunfire overnight near a military base at the international airport, which has been attacked by jihadists twice this year.

Niger has been ruled for three years by a military leadership that has struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has blighted the west African country for around a decade.

"There is heavy gunfire and explosions at Base 101 in Niamey," one local resident told AFP, a report confirmed by several other witnesses.

Several social media posts also reported shooting and explosions in the city, particularly in the administrative area where the presidential palace and the national television station are located.

Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport. The origin of the gunfire is still unknown, and no official communication has yet been issued.

Rival jihadist groups

Niamey airport has been targeted twice this year by jihadists, first by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in January, then again in late June by their rivals the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda.

The rival jihadist groups not only target civilians and the military but are also struggling for dominance over the other in the Sahel, and especially in Niger.

Twenty assailants were killed and four soldiers wounded in the January assault, authorities said at the time.

General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the military regime that emerged from a coup in July 2023, spoke in January of "a flaw in the system" that "enabled the attack," whose "objective was to destroy all of the air capabilities" of the army.

In June, at least 11 soldiers and two civilians were killed, as well as 22 attackers, according to the defence ministry. Both attacks were repelled by the army.

The EIS and JNIM are also active in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, both allies of Niger and ruled by military juntas that seized power in coups.

The three countries quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, turned their backs on traditional Western partners in the fight against jihadist violence, especially France, and sought closer ties with Russia -- without, however, managing to restore security.