Niger: des tirs entendus à l'aéroport de Niamey, possible attaque jihadiste
Niger has been ruled for almost three years by a junta that is struggling to stem the jihadist violence plaguing the country.
At the end of January, Niamey airport and the adjacent military base were targeted for several hours by a large-scale attack repelled by the Nigerien army and its Russian partners.
"I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 (05:00 GMT). The shots came from the main entrance gate of the airport," a local resident told AFP by telephone, referring to "a terrorist attack."
Around 08:00 (07:00 GMT) the gunfire continued according to this source, while another resident of the area confirmed that the shots were coming from the main entrance of the airport, at the level of a control and search post.
On social media, posts mention heavy weapons fire and indicate that the airport area was cordoned off by a strong security presence on Thursday morning.
The January 29 attack had a profound impact on Niger, as the capital's airport was the first to be targeted by jihadists. According to authorities, it left four people injured and caused significant material damage.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the military regime that came to power in a coup in July 2023, had mentioned "a flaw in the system" which "allowed the attack", whose "objective was to destroy all the air capabilities" of the army.
In recent weeks, the regime had launched a major campaign to destroy neighborhoods around the airport to protect itself from the "terrorist risk".
Other security measures have been taken: at the airport, the perimeter wall has been extended and more than 350 cameras have been installed inside and outside the perimeter.
The Nigerien military regime has been facing jihadists since the mid-2010s, like its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali.
The military regime that came to power by overthrowing elected President Mohamed Bazoum is struggling to reverse the trend in the face of the Islamic State or the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which are carrying out increasingly organized attacks.
In April, JNIM had struck hard in neighbouring Mali, also governed by a junta, even reaching the capital Bamako.
Niamey has chosen to turn its back on its historical partner, the former colonial power France, which it even regularly accuses of being the "sponsor" of jihadists, which Paris refutes.
He turned to partners he considered more "sincere": Russia, Turkey or Iran for example.
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