Niger TV Station Goes Off Air After Heavy Gunfire in Niamey

Niger’s national television station, Tele Sahel, went off air on Saturday following a night of heavy gunfire and explosions in parts of the capital, Niamey, including around a military base near the city’s airport.

 

The development comes three years after a military junta seized power in Niger and amid continuing jihadist violence in the country.

 

The military urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information, saying defence and security forces had been mobilised to defend the country.

 

“One local resident said there was “heavy gunfire and explosions” around Air Force Base 101, a report corroborated by several other witnesses.

 

The first shots were reportedly heard around 1:00 a.m. local time and continued until daybreak. Another resident said he heard further bursts of gunfire around 7:00 a.m.

 

Soldiers reportedly blocked access to the presidential palace and the national television station, while videos circulating online showed armoured vehicles deployed around areas near the airport.

 

By 9:00 a.m., Tele Sahel’s programming had been replaced by a black screen on both satellite and online platforms.

 

The cause of the gunfire remained unclear as of the time of filing the report, although residents reported shooting in the administrative district where the presidential palace and national television station are located.

 

Niamey’s airport has been targeted twice this year by jihadist groups. The Islamic State in the Sahel attacked the facility in January, while the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, carried out another attack in June.

 

The January attack reportedly killed 20 assailants and wounded four soldiers, while the June assault left at least 11 soldiers and two civilians dead, alongside 22 attackers, according to Nigerien authorities.

 

Niger, alongside neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, is governed by military regimes that have strengthened security ties with Russia and distanced themselves from traditional Western partners.

 

Air Force Base 101, located within the international airport complex, hosts Russian Africa Corps personnel and the command of the Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.