Westminster woke to grim news this morning. Thirty-five people are dead. Gunmen stormed Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. Niger's biggest airport. A massacre.
The Foreign Office lost no time. Updated travel advice within hours. British nationals in Niger? Get out. Leave now. Commercial flights are still running. For now.
Sources in Whitehall say this changes everything. The Sahel has been simmering. Niger was the last stable domino in a falling region. No longer.
This is not random violence. This is coordinated. Professional. The attack happened at dawn, prime shift change. Softest target. Maximum chaos. The gunmen knew the layout. They knew the schedules.
Intelligence officials I spoke to are worried. Very worried. This has the hallmarks of an ISIS-linked affiliate, possibly JNIM. But they're not ruling out local jihadist groups with a grudge against the junta. Either way, the message is the same: no one is safe.
The junta in Niamey is shaky. They took power in a coup last year, promising security. This is a devastating blow to their credibility. Expect a crackdown. Expect more instability.
Backbenchers on the Foreign Affairs Committee are muttering. They want answers. Was this a failure of intelligence? Did we miss the warning signs? An urgent question in the Commons is likely next week.
For now, the advice is stark: if you are British and in Niger, make plans to leave immediately. The window may close fast. Neighbouring airspace could be locked down. No one wants another Kabul.
The death toll may rise. Many are in critical condition. Hospitals are overwhelmed. The airport is closed. Stranded passengers, frantic families, a country in shock.
Downing Street declined to comment on operational matters. A statement said the UK stands with Niger in the fight against terrorism. Fluff. The real work is happening in secure rooms, officials racing to track British nationals, coordinate evacuation plans.
This is the new normal. The terror threat is real, and it is expanding. The Sahel is a black hole swallowing entire regions. And we are only beginning to feel the pull.
