Westminster is reeling. The Foreign Office has issued a stark condemnation after 35 people were slaughtered in a brazen terrorist attack at an airport in Niger. This is not a drill. This is a brutal reminder of the Sahel's descent into chaos.
Sources tell me the death toll could rise. The attack, claimed by a faction linked to Islamic State, targeted a military airbase near the civilian terminal. Bodies strewn across the tarmac. Families torn apart. The optics are catastrophic for a region already buckling under jihadist pressure.
Downing Street moved fast. A statement landed within hours: 'The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms this cowardly attack on innocent civilians.' But insiders whisper the real panic is about what happens next. Our embassy in Niamey is on lockdown. Travel advice has been updated with the usual boilerplate about avoiding non-essential travel.
This is personal for the Prime Minister. He staked his foreign policy on stability in West Africa. Now, with French troops drawing down from Mali, the security vacuum is bleeding across borders. Niger was supposed to be the last domino standing. Not anymore.
I spoke to a former defence attaché who knows the region. He said: 'The airport attack is a message. They're saying we can hit anywhere. Any time. And there's nothing you can do.' His words hang heavy.
Cabinet is divided. Some MPs are pushing for a withdrawal of UK trainers assisting Nigerien forces. Others, including some in the Ministry of Defence, argue for a beefed-up presence. The PM's position is fragile. His hawkish stance on terror could be a liability if the body count rises.
And the polls. Don't forget the polls. Voters are nervous. Immigration, the cost of living, and now this. The opposition is circling. Expect urgent questions in the Commons tomorrow. Expect blood.
This is the story I'm hearing from Whitehall: a government on the back foot, scrambling to show resolve without getting dragged into another forever war. The Sahel is a graveyard of good intentions. Today, that graveyard got 35 new graves.
The Foreign Secretary is due to brief the press later. I'll be there. Watching. Counting the number of times he uses the word 'robust'.
