Gunfire erupted at Niger’s main airport this morning as the military junta that seized power in July faces mounting international isolation. Sources on the ground confirm at least two explosions and sustained automatic weapons fire near the terminal, moments before a French evacuation flight was due to depart. The Foreign Office has issued an urgent warning for British nationals to leave the country immediately, citing a “deteriorating security environment” with no guarantee of further assistance.
Witnesses describe panicked scenes as passengers fled the terminal, some scrambling over fences to reach nearby compounds. The airport, under junta control since the coup, was already a flashpoint. Western intelligence suggests the gunfire may have been a targeted attack by factions loyal to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, though no group has claimed responsibility. The junta’s self-declared leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has not addressed the incident.
This follows a week of escalating pressure. ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, activated a standby force and imposed a no-fly zone over Niger, with a military intervention deadline looming. The junta responded by closing airspace and recalling ambassadors from France, the US, and Nigeria. British nationals, estimated at several hundred, are now caught in the crossfire of a power struggle that threatens to destabilise the Sahel.
Documents obtained by our newsroom from a regional security source reveal that the junta has been in secret talks with Wagner Group mercenaries, offering mineral concessions in exchange for arms. This would align Niger with neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, both under military rule and Russian influence. The implications for British counter-terrorism operations in the region are grave. The UK has a small training mission in the country, but its status is now uncertain.
A former UK ambassador to the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, told me: “This is a textbook Wagner play. They turn a political crisis into a resource grab while the West dithers. British nationals are civilians in a war zone, and the government has been slow to act.”
The Foreign Office’s travel advisory is unequivocal: leave now. But with commercial flights suspended and the airport under fire, options are vanishing. The embassy in Niamey has been closed since the coup, and there are no plans for a dedicated evacuation. British nationals are advised to register their location and await further instructions.
What happens next depends on whether the junta can hold the airport. If it falls to opposition forces, the regime’s grip on the capital weakens. If it holds, the path to intervention becomes clearer. Either way, the trapped civilians are running out of time.
