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04-02-2026
NIAMEY: The ISIL (ISIS) armed group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an air force base at Niger’s main airport.
The ISIL-affiliated Amaq News Agency reported on Friday that the group carried out a “surprise and coordinated attack” on the base at Diori Hamani International Airport near the capital, Niamey. It claimed the attack caused “significant damage”, without providing more details.
The military government, which took power in a 2023 coup, said security forces killed 20 attackers in fighting after the attack, which took place shortly after midnight on Thursday. Four army soldiers were wounded in the violence.
Niger’s authorities have been fighting ISIL affiliate Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) and the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) in the west and southeast of the country for a decade.
The ISIL affiliate has been linked to high-profile attacks in Niger in recent months, killing more than 120 people in the Tillaberi region in September and abducting a US pilot in October.
On Thursday, military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani thanked Russian troops stationed at the base for “defending their sector”, confirming his nation’s growing ties with Moscow, which has provided military support to tackle the armed rebellion.
Tiani also accused France, Benin and Ivory Coast of sponsoring the attack, without offering any evidence, saying on state television that the three countries “should be ready to hear us roar.”
Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, a spokesman for Benin’s government, rejected the allegation. “He is the only one to believe that nonsense,” he said on Friday.
Niamey’s airport, located about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the presidential palace, hosts military bases and the headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali Joint Force for battling armed groups.
The three countries, all run by military governments, have joined forces in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), turning away from the West notably, France and alleged proxies in the region as they pivot towards Russia.
The airport is also home to a large uranium stockpile at the centre of a nationalization dispute with French state-affiliated nuclear company Orano.
Niger state television reported on Thursday that one of the killed assailants was a French national, without providing evidence.
“No talk of politics today,” Aissata said to her teenage daughter on the way to her parents’ house for their traditional Sunday gathering in Niamey.
“We can’t talk about any of this with the others. I don’t want any tension at the table.”
The 60-year-old mother of four and former teacher returned to Niger with her family five years ago after spending most of her adult life in the United States. She and her husband decided to retire to their homeland when their youngest daughter left home for college. Since the July 26, 2023 coup against Mohamed Bazoum, a democratically elected leader and close ally to the European Union who ruled for a mere two years before being forced out of office, Aissata has welcomed the military government and new President, Abdourahamane Tchiani.
“I think some people misjudge Tchiani for being part of the former establishment that he’s condemning today but as the former head of the presidential guard, he isn’t responsible for the previous governments’ shortcomings,” she told media.
“Tchiani is saying he’ll rid us of our old system and prioritize Niger and Nigeriens. That’s what we need, more than anything.”
Aissata, much like many of her fellow Nigeriens, has subscribed to the revived notion of “Labou Sani no” in Zarma and “Zentchen Kassa” in Hausa, two of the country’s main Indigenous languages. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
