Niger

Al Qaeda-linked terrorists claim attack on Niger airport that killed 13

Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed the attack on a Niger airport that killed 11 security force members and two civilians.

The head of the Nigerien junta, General Abdourahamane Tiani, walks with Beninese President Romuald Wadagni during his arrival for the first leg of a visit to Niger and Burkina Faso, at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger June 2, 2026.
Passengers arrive at the Diori Hamani International airport in Niamey on September 22, 2023; illustrative.

Explosions, sustained gunfire at airport in Niger capital, witnesses say

Soldiers of the Somalia National Army (SNA) raise their weapons when they gathered near their camp for a talk from visiting senior officers at Awdheegle, one of several towns recently liberated from the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Somalia's lower-Shabelle region on November, 2025.

Al Qaeda, Islamic State ramp up violence in West Africa’s tri-border region, report shows

A 46-foot (14m) long Spinosaurus cast debuts at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, US, June 2, 2023.

Fossils of a new species of huge dinosaur Spinosaurus unearthed in Niger


Niger reopens borders with several neighbors a week after coup

The borders that have reopened are mainly in remote desert areas. Niger's key entryways for trade and commerce remain closed due to sanctions imposed by the regional bloc.

 General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023.

Russia and Iran may eye Niger as possible inroad against US in Africa

"Any military intervention against Niger would be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali," a statement reads.

 Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023.

Will the Niger coup bring attention back to the Sahel region? - analysis

There have been at least seven other coups and military takeovers in Africa in the last decade.

 Supporters of the coup set fire to ruling party HQ while hundreds of them gather in front of the National Assembly in the capital Niamey, Niger July 27, 2023.

Niger coup leaders declare general Tiani head of state

"The President of the CNSP is the head of state. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement.

Hundreds of supporters of the coup gather and hold a Russian and Nigers flags in front of the National Assembly in the capital Niamey, Niger July 27, 2023.

'Exiled' Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin hails Niger coup, touts services

"What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonizers," Prigozhin said.

 Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery before the funeral of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin widely known by the name of Vladlen Tatarsky, who was recently killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe, in Moscow, Russia, April 8, 2023.

Six Nigerian, Niger troops killed by Islamic State, security forces say

Two officers and four other ranks from both countries were killed and 16 wounded.

Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deploy in an intensive security operation earlier this month to regain control over Luhaiban village in Kirkuk after Islamic State had seized the Iraqi village.

Death toll from attack on Niger villages soars to 137

It did not say who authorities believed was behind the attacks. A security source earlier blamed Islamic State, whose local affiliate is active in the zone.

An ISIS propaganda video shows a deadly ambush of US soldiers in Niger

Niger votes in hopes of first democratic transition

More than 40% of Niger's population lives in extreme poverty, and the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed growth to a crawl.

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou arrives at the airport for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consultative meeting in Accra, Ghana September 15, 2020.

US citizen kidnapped by gunmen in southern Niger, sources say

Niger, like much of West Africa's Sahel region, is struggling with a deepening security crisis as groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State carry out attacks on the army and civilians.

A US special forces soldier demonstrates how to detain a suspect in Diffa, Niger.

Casualty reports show shifting tactics of US clandestine war in Africa

The US has long had a military role in Africa, but much of it was in the shadows.

US Army soldiers, assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF), 101st Airborne Division on a mission to bolster the security of Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya after an attack by Somalia's al Shabaab militants that killed three Americans, board a transport plane in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti January 5,