Niger: Army repels attack on Tahoua drone base

A military drone base at the airport in Niger’s Tahoua was targeted overnight on Sunday. Local authorities say the army fended off the attack, which left several soldiers injured and several assailants dead.

Eyewitnesses say unidentified assailants arrived on motorcycles, adding that they saw exchanges of gunfire from the airport and the city centre.

The drone base was built in 2022, and drones from Niger’s air force often operate in the area, which frequently faces jihadist attacks. Normally, though, the city of some 100,000 residents is spared such violence.

The area is also home to groups of armed bandits, as well as smuggling routes for drugs.

It comes weeks after the Islamic State group targeted the country’s main airport in Niamey.

Jihadist violence has troubled Niger, which has been ruled by a junta since July 2023, for a decade. The violence usually involves affiliates of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. It is unclear who is behind the latest attack.