Heavy Security Deployed at Niger Airport After Overnight Explosions

Heavy Security Deployed at Niger Airport After Overnight Explosions

A satellite image taken two weeks ago shows the military zone of Niamey airport in Niger. Photograph: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP/Getty Images Planes hit by gunfire and blasts heard at airport in Niger capital – reports Source says two aircraft on ground 'destroyed' although authorities yet to comment on situation Gunfire and loud blasts have been heard at the main airport in the Nigerien capital of Niamey, according to the Reuters news agency and an independent source. A witness told Reuters they heard explosions just after midnight. The airport is next to Base Aérienne 101, a military base previously used by American and then Russian troops . A source with the Togolese airline Asky told the Guardian that gunshots made several holes in the fuselage of its two planes on the tarmac of Niamey airport. Staff were at their hotel at the time but remained stranded in the country. 'They destroyed both aircraft … they left evidence at the scene,' the source said. Fofana Yacouba, a spokesman for Air Cóte d’Ivoire confirmed that one of the Ivorian airline’s aircraft was also hit. 'A communique is being prepared [about it],' he told the Guardian by telephone. It remains unclear who fired the shots or whether there were any casualties. Authorities in Niger have yet to comment on the situation.