Security forces searched for militants in the Niger capital after explosions and sustained gunfire were heard near the city's main airport early Thursday, with the situation appearing mostly calm by noon.

Gunfire erupted early on Thursday at the airport in Niger's capital, Niamey, residents told AFP, several months after a major jihadist attack at the facility.

A Reuters witness in the city reported hearing the initial blasts around dawn, while sporadic gunfire continued nearly two hours later.