Niamey’s international airport hit by terror, Sahel states point to foreign backing

Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport experienced a significant terrorist assault on the morning of Thursday, June 18, 2026. This attack, for which the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims—Al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate in the Sahel—claimed responsibility, resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers and two civilians, alongside 22 assailants, according to official reports.

The Confederation of Sahel States (AES), an alliance comprising Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, issued a statement strongly condemning this “cowardly and treacherous” aggression carried out near Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport.

“Evidently, this latest attack, marked by an attempt to seize control of Niamey’s Airport, aimed to degrade the operational capabilities of the Nigerien Armed Forces,” the AES declared in its communiqué. “Its ultimate goal was to reverse the current momentum where armed terrorist groups are consistently being defeated in the field of operations.”

The organization further asserted that this assault, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel and two civilians while also neutralizing 22 attackers, represents “another clear demonstration of terrorist violence backed by foreign state sponsors.”

This incident follows a previous offensive in January 2026 against Niamey’s Air Base 101, also located near Diori Hamani International Airport. That earlier episode had triggered significant diplomatic friction, with Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tiani publicly accusing various foreign leaders of complicity in efforts to destabilize the nation. These serious allegations had provoked strong international responses.

Despite these challenges, the Confederation of Sahel States emphasized in its declaration that such attacks would not undermine its unified security strategy. “Far from eroding the momentum driving our confederal dynamic, these recurrent and orchestrated attacks only serve to strengthen the sacred unity among the people of the AES,” the leaders affirmed. They reiterated their commitment to their Heads of State’s vision in the ongoing struggle to safeguard the territorial integrity of member states, protect their populations, and ensure lasting peace across the Sahel region.