Niger: Army repels attack on Tahoua drone base

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

Eyewitnesses say unidentified assailants pulled up on motorcycles, and that they saw exchanges of fire 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 from 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.

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