What happened this Thursday, shortly after midnight near niamey International Airport, the capital of Niger? Heavy gunfire and detonations were heard before a return to calm two hours later.
Residents of Niamey describe shots heard during the night near the airport, raising fears of a jihadist attack. "They were repeated shots", testifies Ibrahim Boubacar, who lives near the airport.
"We were very scared. I had the children around me, each with a rosary, and we prayed all night for Allah to protect us, for every Nigerien to pray for peace to return to the country, adds another resident.
In a press release read on public television Télé Sahel, the Minister of Defense indicates that a group of mercenaries attacked Niamey air base 101. "Four soldiers were injured and equipment was damaged, including a stock of ammunition which caught fire."
For General Abdourahamane Tiani, in power since the coup d'état of July 2023, France, Benin and Ivory Coast are at the origin of this destabilization attempt. Nigerien authorities indicate that 20 mercenaries were neutralized, 11 others arrested, the majority of whom are seriously injured.
Niger, a Sahelian country regularly affected by jihadist violence, has been led for more than two years by Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the junta which overthrew elected civilian President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
