Gunfire heard at Niger capital's airport

Gunfire heard at Niger capital's airport9 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBBCGunfire has been heard coming from the airport in Niger's capital, Niamey, according to residents.It began around 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and the Reuters news agency, which is also reporting that there have been explosions, said it lasted for an hour.The gunfire was coming from the entrance to the airport, two witnesses told the AFP news agency.Niger has been fighting a militant Islamist insurgency for a decade and in January suspected jihadists launched an attack on the same airport. Like its neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger is run by a military junta that came to power in part because of the failure to deal with the violence. Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafricaThis breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.BBC Africa podcastsFocus on AfricaThis Is AfricaAfricaNiger