Niamey — On the night of January 28-29, Diori Hamani Airport in Niamey was attacked. According to local sources, heavy gunfire erupted around midnight at the airport after an unidentified armed group attacked the guard post. The fighting continued until 2:00 a.m. Anti-aircraft tracers were seen in the sky, presumably used to shoot down drones deployed by the attackers. Calm has now returned to the airport in Niger's capital. Located 10 km from the center of Niamey, the airport complex houses both the civilian airport and Base 101 of the Nigerian Air Force Base, which was used by the US military until July 2024 to operate drones deployed in support of local forces against jihadist groups.

The military area was recently renovated and is intended to house a new base for newly acquired Turkish-made drones, as well as the headquarters of the combined forces of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali fighting against the jihadist groups threatening the three countries, which are members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The facility is now reportedly housing Russian soldiers who support the military junta that has ruled since July 26, 2023. Also stored in warehouses at the airport are 1,000 tons of concentrated uranium oxide (commonly known as "yellowcake" because of its color), extracted from the Arlit mine by the French company Orano. This is the subject of a dispute between the French company and the military junta after the latter seized it.

The nuclear cargo was to be purchased by a Russian company after being transported overland to the port of Lomé in Togo, a route that involved crossing areas controlled by jihadist groups. French diplomatic pressure forced local authorities to postpone the transfer, leaving the cargo stranded inside the airport terminal. It is suspected that the commando unit that attacked the airport consisted of members of the JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims), one of the most active jihadist groups in the region.