Residents of Niger’s capital, Niamey, reported hours of heavy overnight gunfire near the city’s international airport, fuelling fears of a possible jihadist attack. According to witnesses, sustained gunfire and several explosions erupted in the early hours of Thursday around Diori Hamani International Airport before gradually subsiding after several hours. At first, we thought it was just firecrackers or an electrical fault, but then we were surprised and realised that this was not the case, that it was really a terrorist attack,” said Ibrahim Boubacar, who lives near Niamey airport and heads a local youth collective. At first, we thought it was just firecrackers or an electrical fault, but then we were surprised and realised that this was not the case, that it was really a terrorist attack,” said Ibrahim Boubacar, who lives near Niamey airport and heads a local youth collective. Another resident living near the airport described a night of fear as gunfire echoed across the neighbourhood.