A terrorist group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s franchise in West Africa, claimed responsibility for an attack on the Niamey airport in Niger that killed 11 members of the government’s security force, plus two civilians.
The defense ministry of Niger said 22 of the attackers were also killed in the battle, and four were wounded. Security forces seized a large number of weapons from the assailants, including rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, explosives, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The assault on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger’s capital city began around 6:00 am local time. According to security sources, the gunmen arrived at a security checkpoint near the airport “by taxi” and opened fire on security troops, who responded with “fierce resistance.”
The international airport is part of the same complex as a military airbase, as well as the headquarters of counterterrorism forces from Russia and the G5 Sahel alliance. Niger also stores uranium at the airport, so it can be conveniently shipped out of the country when sold. All of these factors made the airport an attractive target for a terrorist attack.
Security teams swept through Niamey to pursue fleeing terrorists after the attack failed, and were reportedly obliged to discourage armed locals from joining the hunt.
“The attackers mixed in with the local population, so finding them was not easy. Civilians picked up machetes and sticks to defend themselves and to strike anyone they did not recognize who came their way,” a Niamey resident told the BBC.
The Niger defense ministry initially claimed the attackers were “mercenaries” hired by France, whose relations with Niger turned sour after the civilian government of Niger was overthrown in a coup in 2023. France withdrew all of its counterterrorism forces from Niger by the end of that year, and the junta has increasingly turned to Russian military contractors for support.
JNIM soon claimed the attack in a statement from the Az-Zallaqa Foundation, its media wing. JNIM, whose name translates to “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims” in English, described its action as a “suicide attack on Diori Hamani International Airport and the neighboring military base.”
The same airport was attacked in January by the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), a rival to al-Qaeda. The ISSP terrorists rode into the complex on motorcycles and tried to destroy the drones housed at the military airbase. The junta also accused France of orchestrating that attack.
Counter-terrorism analysts said the airport attacks are troubling signs that terrorists in the Sahel region are shifting from attacks on small villages and remote outposts to major operations against urban centers and military targets.
“JNIM in Niger is trying to mark its territory. This is a message to the government, but also to the Islamic State,” Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim of the International Crisis Group told PBS.
“If JNIM loses the upper hand in Niger against the Islamic State, it will jeopardize its upper hand in Mali and Burkina Faso,” said Soufan Center senior research fellow Wassim Nasr. “You have an open space like the Wild West, where each is looking to mark its territory.”