Heavy gunfire and explosions rocked Niamey early Saturday, targeting Diori Hamani International Airport and areas near the presidential palace. Security forces recaptured the key military facility at Base 101, according to local reports on August 29, 2026, amid ongoing regional security challenges in Niger.
Gunfire and Explosions Erupt Near Niamey’s Presidential Palace and Airport
Residents across the capital of Niger reported hearing continuous gunfire and explosions in the early hours of Saturday morning. Witnesses speaking to reporters noted that the sharp exchanges centered around Diori Hamani International Airport and the immediate vicinity of the presidential palace, with a second witness reporting that heavy and sustained shooting persisted near the presidential palace itself. A local resident informed Agence France-Presse that intense gunfire and explosions also erupted at Base 101 within the international airport.
The strategic international airport serves as a critical military hub in the country. According to The Associated Press, the facility houses an air base and the headquarters of the joint force created by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The airport also hosts Russian forces and a drone unit that carries out strikes against armed groups, alongside storing uranium inventories that Niger seeks to sell.
Base 101 Targeted as Security Forces Secure the Capital
A security source informed Reuters that “terrorists” attacked Diori Hamani International Airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter surrounding the presidential headquarters. Bana Wajana Ibrahim, a member of the bureau of Niger’s consultative council and deputy of the Parliament of the Alliance of Sahel States, wrote on Facebook that attackers targeted Base 101, a key military installation in Niamey, but security forces regained control of it. Ibrahim described the incident as another cowardly attack on Base 101 and affirmed that our defense and security forces have ensured the situation is under control.
A second security source told Reuters that security forces carried out search operations, noting that attackers were killed while others fled. A Reuters witness confirmed that gunfire remained heavy and continuous around the presidential palace, while shooting renewed around the Niamey international airport. An immediate comment could not be obtained from Niger’s military government.
Niger has been ruled by the military since a July 2023 coup overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Since that time, the military government, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, has distanced itself from traditional Western allies and established closer ties with Russia, mirroring military governments in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso. The three West African Sahel nations formed a security and political alliance after their militaries seized power in a wave of regional coups, and they continue to battle armed insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, despite pledges from military rulers to improve security.
Broader Security and Uranium Sector Context
The unrest unfolds as Niger’s military government tightens its control over the uranium sector after seizing assets belonging to the French company Orano. An official decree last week reallocated uranium mining licenses previously held by Orano and GoviEx to state-backed companies. Niger historically served as a key supplier of nuclear fuel to Europe, representing about 15 percent of Orano’s uranium supplies when operating at full capacity before the military government seized the company’s assets in 2024.
The country has faced sporadic security disturbances and attacks resulting in deaths and injuries linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State networks. These incidents include the killing of at least 44 civilians in the country’s southwest in March. The military repelled two attacks on the Niamey airport this year: the first carried out in January by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and the second launched in June by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslimeen (JNIM), the al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, which resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers and two civilians.
President Tiani acknowledged a security breach during the January attack that allowed attackers to carry out the operation near the airport, asserting that the attackers’ goal was to “eliminate” the army’s air capabilities.
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