Staff evacuation… rising Islamic State threat reshapes US presence in Niger
A day after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on Niamey airport, Washington ordered the departure of non-essential emergency personnel from Niger.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the US State Department said it had instructed non-emergency essential government employees and their family members to leave Niger due to security risks.
In a travel advisory, the department stated: “The US government is unable to provide routine or emergency services to US citizens outside Niamey because of security risks.”
On Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on Niamey airport, after Niger’s ruling military council accused France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire of sponsoring the attackers, while thanking Russia for its assistance in repelling them.
On Thursday, Niger’s military council announced that armed militants had attacked Niamey airport, wounding four soldiers, and that security forces had killed twenty attackers, including one French national, while arresting others.
Islamic State strikes the capital
Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist organizations, reported a statement in which Islamic State claimed responsibility for the operation. For nearly a decade, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, as well as Islamic State, have carried out violence in the Sahel region, particularly in western and southwestern Niger. However, their operations rarely reach the capital.
Niamey airport is located less than ten kilometers from the presidential palace. It is a strategic site hosting an air force base, a modern drone base, and the headquarters of the joint force established by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to combat Islamic State, which is active and responsible for deadly attacks in these countries.
The airport is also currently holding a large shipment of uranium produced in Niger and awaiting export. The shipment is at the center of a dispute between Niger and the French nuclear energy giant Orano, which accuses the Nigerien government of seizing cargo that belongs to the company.
Residents living near the airport reported hearing gunfire and explosions late Wednesday night, before calm returned roughly an hour later. On Friday, the airport perimeter was closed and heavily secured by security forces.
Terrorist attack
The head of the military council, General Abdourahamane Tiani, said in remarks broadcast on state radio La Voix du Sahel: “We congratulate the defense and security forces, as well as our Russian partners, who defended their security perimeter with professionalism.”
Relations are extremely strained between France and the military council, which came to power following the coup of July 26, 2023. The council has repeatedly accused France and Benin of attempting to destabilize the country, accusations both states deny. Niger has since moved closer to new partners, including Russia.
In a statement, Niger’s Defense Minister, General Salifou Mody, said that “a group of mercenaries” attacked Base 101 in Niamey for 30 minutes before being repelled by ground and air operations.
He said four soldiers were wounded and material damage was recorded, including a fire in an ammunition depot. He added that the attackers fired on three civilian aircraft as they fled.
According to the minister, the response resulted in the deaths of twenty mercenaries and the arrest of eleven others, most of whom suffered serious injuries.
State television broadcast images from the airport, which was visited by the head of the military council. Bodies were seen on the ground, identified as those of the attackers, “including a French national.”
The West African journalism group Wamaps reported that around 300 Italian troops are stationed at the airport’s military base as part of MISIN, the Italian mission in support of Niger.
