At least 35 people have been killed after gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on Niger’s main international airport in Niamey on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Officials say it’s the second assault on Diori Hamani International Airport in less than five months, raising fresh fears over security in the Sahel.
*What happened*
The attack began around 6:00 a.m. local time. Residents said they had just finished morning prayers when explosions and heavy gunfire rang out near the airport entrance. Witnesses reported explosions, gunfire for hours, and soldiers searching roads leading to the airport.
Niger’s Defense Ministry said the assault was repelled. The death toll: 11 soldiers and 2 civilians killed, plus 22 attackers killed. About 20 suspects were arrested and weapons, ammunition, RPG-7 launchers, AK-47s, grenades, and explosives were seized.
By midday, the airport resumed normal operations according to the National Civil Aviation Agency, though security forces locked down the area and conducted sweeping operations.
Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM, claimed responsibility later Thursday for a “suicide attack” on the airport and neighboring military base. The airport complex houses both the civilian terminal and a Nigerien air force base, plus headquarters for the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali joint military force.
This is the second attack on Diori Hamani Airport in 2026. In January, Islamic State Sahel Province claimed a similar assault that targeted Niger’s drone assets and military base at the airport. That January attack left 20 assailants dead and damaged hangars and civilian aircraft.
Security analysts say the airport is a high-value target because of its dual civilian-military role and its symbolism as HQ for the Alliance of Sahel States, AES.
Niger has been ruled by a military junta since the 2023 coup and, like neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has battled insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State for a decade. Despite beefed-up security after January, militants continue to breach critical infrastructure.
Residents described the scene: “We finished our prayer at about 05:50 and shortly afterwards we heard a loud bang – like something had exploded, perhaps a tyre. It was only a little later that we realised what was happening”. Armed locals joined the manhunt with machetes and sticks, though security forces tried to keep civilians out.
35 lives lost, 22 attackers killed, and a major airport hit again. For Niger’s junta, the repeat attack exposes persistent vulnerabilities at one of the country’s most secured sites. For travelers and airlines, it’s a reminder that Sahel airports remain frontline targets in the region’s war on terror.
