DAKAR, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Sustained gunfire and explosions rang out across several areas of Niger’s capital, Niamey, early on Saturday, according to two Reuters witnesses, with the cause not immediately clear.
A security source told Reuters that “terrorists” had attacked the city’s Diori Hamani International Airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidency.
Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Bureau of the Consultative Council and a deputy in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Parliament, said on Facebook that attackers had targeted Base 101, a major military installation in Niamey, but that security forces had regained control.
“Another cowardly attack on Base 101 and once again our defence and security forces ensured … Situation under control,” Ibrahim wrote.
Reuters could not immediately verify the claims made by the security source and Ibrahim.
A second security source told Reuters that security forces had launched search operations and that the attackers had been “neutralised”, with others fleeing.
The second Reuters witness said the gunfire had been heavy and persistent around the presidential palace.
Gunfire resumed around Niamey’s international airport at around 0213 GMT, according to the first Reuters witness.
Niger’s military government was not immediately available for comment.
NIGER IS KEY URANIUM PRODUCER
Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled by the military since a July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Since seizing power, General Abdourahamane Tiani’s junta has shifted away from Western partners, deepened ties with Russia and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in AES, a breakaway from the regional ECOWAS bloc.
All three countries continue to battle Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State despite pledges by their military rulers to improve security.
The unrest comes as Niger’s junta tightens control over its uranium sector, having seized assets from France’s Orano. Last week, the government reallocated former Orano and GoviEx uranium permits to state-backed companies, according to a decree.
Niger was a key supplier of nuclear fuel to Europe, accounting for about 15% of Orano’s uranium supply at full capacity, before the junta seized the company’s assets around 2024.
Earlier this year, deadly attacks killed at least 44 civilians in Niger’s southwest in March and an assault near Niamey’s international airport in January.
(Reporting by Niger Newsroom; Writing by Bate Felix and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila; Editing by William Mallard and Stephen Coates)
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