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Sub-Saharan Africa·Armed Conflicts

Gunfire and explosions rock Niger's capital Niamey near airport and presidential palace[Updated]

Saturday, 29 August 2026, 06:10 · 2 min read
Updates
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Russia's Africa Corps provided both ground and aerial support at the request of Nigerien authorities, according to Russia's ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropaev, marking a significant moment in which Russian forces helped the junta suppress a challenge from within its own military. Algeria also deployed four Sukhoi Su-30 combat aircraft to Niamey at the direction of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a show of strategic support for Niger's government. Adding to the strategic stakes of the fighting at Base 101, the German outlet taz reported that the facility has stored approximately 1,000 tonnes of uranium concentrate — yellowcake — since December 2025, arriving in 34 trucks bearing radioactive warning signs and valued at an estimated $190,000 per tonne on world markets. Calm had returned to Niamey by Sunday, with eyewitnesses reporting aircraft overhead and authorities dismantling checkpoints erected during the unrest.

Sources
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Niger's Defence Minister General Salifou Mody confirmed in a statement broadcast on state television that mutinous soldiers — described as "insurgents from within the armed forces" — had attempted to detain comrades at Base 101 before opening fire on sensitive sites across the city, characterising the incident as a breach of military discipline rather than an external attack. The mutineers briefly seized the national broadcaster and took control of Turkish-made drones stored at the airport, though they were repelled at the presidential palace by the presidential guard. Local sources identified the soldiers as originating from southwestern garrison towns of Ouallam, Téra, and Dosso — areas where Niger's military has suffered heavy losses fighting jihadist insurgents — and a source with contacts inside the regime told the Financial Times they were "young soldiers fed up with Tchiani," describing the events as a coup attempt by junior officers discontented with General Abdourahamane Tchiani's rule. State television, which went dark early Saturday, later returned to air, and a foreign diplomat in Niamey confirmed to the Financial Times that while a coup attempt was underway, the government appeared to have reasserted control over central areas of the capital by midday local time.

Sources
Original story

Sustained gunfire and heavy explosions erupted across several areas of Niger's capital, Niamey, in the early hours of Saturday, with blasts and shooting reported near the city's Diori Hamani International Airport, the presidential palace, and Base 101, a major military installation in the city. The cause was not immediately confirmed, and no official statement had been issued by authorities in the hours following the outbreak of violence.

A security source described the incident as a terrorist attack targeting the airport and an attempted breach of the security perimeter around the presidency. A second security source said security forces had launched search operations and that attackers had been "neutralised", with others having fled the scene. Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger's Bureau of the Consultative Council and a deputy in the Alliance of Sahel States parliament, wrote on Facebook that Base 101 had been targeted but that the situation was "under control", praising the response of Niger's defence and security forces. These claims could not be independently verified. Niamey's military barracks were reported to be on maximum alert, and videos circulating online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce a neighbourhood close to the airport.

The attack is the third of its kind this year targeting the Niamey airport. In January, fighters linked to the Islamic State struck the facility — an assault that the country's military ruler, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, later acknowledged had exposed a security gap, with the stated aim of destroying the army's air capabilities. In late June, rival jihadist group JNIM — the Sahel branch of al-Qaeda — carried out a second attack, which was repelled but left 11 soldiers and two civilians dead.

Niger, a landlocked West African nation rich in uranium, oil and gold, has been governed by the military since a July 2023 coup that removed elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Under General Tchiani, the government has distanced itself from Western partners, expelled French and American forces, deepened ties with Russia, and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in the Alliance of Sahel States — a bloc that has broken away from the regional ECOWAS grouping. The country continues to face a severe jihadist insurgency that has destabilised much of the Sahel region in recent years.

The latest incident underscores the persistent and escalating security challenge facing Niamey itself, as militant groups increasingly bring violence from rural areas into the capital. Further details are expected as authorities assess the situation and issue formal communications.

Sources
Al Jazeera English — Gunfire, blasts heard in several areas of Niger capital Niamey ↗︎Le Monde Afrique — Au Niger, des tirs et des détonations entendus aux abords de l’aéroport de Niamey ↗︎RFI — Niger: des explosions et des tirs entendus dans la capitale ↗︎
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.