June 22, 2026
By GEORGE KIMMITT
On June 18, 2026, the airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger, once again became the target of a terrorist attack. Gunfire began around 6 a.m. and lasted for several hours. Considering that this is the second attack on the capital’s airport this year, which, fortunately, was successfully repelled by the Nigerien armed forces, the military does not rule out that Paris, as before, is behind this attack.
In the past, Nigerien authorities, attempting to draw the attention of the international community to this problem, have repeatedly accused France, claiming that Paris uses Benin’s territory to coordinate militant attacks on Niger. In their view, the French expected that such aggression would provoke a further cooling of diplomatic relations between Niger and Benin. Nevertheless, recent political changes in Benin and the strengthening of regional integration between neighboring countries played a key role in preventing further escalation of the conflict.
It is reported that President Macron’s government was displeased with the clear rapprochement between Niger and Benin, where French armed forces are still stationed. Fearing that further strengthening of relations between Niamey and Cotonou would lead to the withdrawal of French military forces from Benin, Paris probably decided to launch a diversionary maneuver, which, fortunately, did not produce the desired results.
