Gunmen launched a pre-dawn assault on Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport on Thursday, killing 11 soldiers and two civilians before being repelled by security forces in a battle that left 22 attackers dead. Niger's defence ministry confirmed the toll and said four attackers were wounded and around 20 suspects arrested, with a large-scale manhunt underway for any remaining militants. A substantial cache of weapons was seized, including RPG-7 launchers, AK-47 rifles, explosives, grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

The attack began around 5:50 a.m. local time, just as residents were finishing morning prayers, and lasted roughly two hours. Witnesses said the gunmen arrived at the airport security checkpoint by taxi before encountering fierce resistance from security forces. Some attackers wore explosive belts and, after being pushed back, dispersed into surrounding neighbourhoods, where troops conducted extensive sweeps. Armed residents joined the effort, hunting down those they did not recognise with sticks and machetes, though security personnel attempted to discourage civilian involvement. By late morning the situation was declared under control and the airport, which handles both civilian flights and military operations, remained open to air traffic — though tracking data showed several flights had been rerouted or delayed during the incident.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, claimed responsibility in a brief evening statement, describing it as a suicide attack on the airport and an adjoining military base. JNIM is an Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist coalition active across the Sahel region, responsible for attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso as well. It is a separate organisation from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), which claimed the previous attack on the same airport in January, when four soldiers were wounded and 20 assailants killed. Both attacks have prompted Niger's military government to blame France, its former colonial power, accusing Paris of financing jihadists — allegations France denies.

Niamey is the capital of Niger, a landlocked West African country that has been governed by a military junta since a 2023 coup led by General Abdourahamane Tiani. Niger is part of the Alliance of Sahel States alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, three neighbouring nations all run by juntas that came to power partly in response to years of jihadist violence. In the weeks before Thursday's attack, authorities had demolished thousands of illegally built homes near the airport and installed more than 350 surveillance cameras, citing the terrorist threat. Despite those measures, analysts noted that the attack again began at dawn and lasted for hours, suggesting the security improvements have so far proven insufficient and raising concerns about possible insider knowledge among the assailants.

The African Union and the European Union both condemned the attack. The incident underscores the deteriorating security situation across the Sahel, where competing jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have killed thousands of people and displaced millions over the past decade. Niger's junta has sought new security partnerships with Russia, Turkey and Iran following a sharp break with France, but Thursday's violence — the second major strike on the country's most sensitive aviation installation in less than five months — illustrates the limits of those arrangements so far.