A burst of heavy gunfire and explosions erupted early Thursday near the international airport in Niger's capital Niamey before halting within hours, residents told AFP. The capital's Diori Hamani International Airport houses an air force base and is located about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the presidential palace. The shooting began shortly after midnight, according to residents of a neighbourhood near the airport. -Jihadist violence -The country's largest international airport is also the headquarters of a joint force created by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to combat jihadist groups waging deadly violence in the region. According to ACLED, an NGO that tracks conflict casualties globally, jihadist violence killed nearly 2,000 people in 2025 in Niger.