Niger: Niamey airport area residents face eviction

Amid the deteriorating security situation in Niger, residents of areas surrounding Niamey’s International Airport are facing eviction, according to RFI and agencies on May 13th.

Four housing developments, housing approximately 26,000 people, are affected by the order; evictions are scheduled to start in late May.

Nigerien authorities claim the occupation of these lands is illegal, which residents have disputed, claiming they purchased their land legally.

The governor of Niamey, General Assoumane Abdou Harouna, stated that the evictions are necessary to ensure air safety and the protection of the public amid growing security concerns.

Harounda has insisted that affected residents will be compensated; the evictions are among several measures being undertaken to decongest the airport area due to a resurgence of asymmetric attacks.

Concerns about terrorism have also led authorities to introduce new regulations for the circulation of certain vehicles in Niamey.

Semi-trailers, dump trucks, heavy goods vehicles over 20 tons, and vehicles transporting flammable products will be prohibited in a red zone and will be banned from driving near major institutions.

On January 29th, the Islamic State (IS) attacked the airport, which is a strategic hub housing military bases, the headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali Joint Force and a uranium stockpile.

Despite IS claiming responsibility for the attack, Niger’s junta implicated its former colonial ruler, France, in the attacks.

Benin and the Ivory Coast, France’s West African allies, were also implicated; the junta provided no evidence to support these claims.

Since seizing power in 2023 following a military coup, Niger’s junta has struggled to contain rising Islamist violence.

Alongside its Sahel allies, Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has cut ties with Western powers in favour of a strategic and security alliance with Russia.

Growing anti-Western sentiment has led the German Embassy in Niamey to withdraw its staff, while Niger has refused to comply with an EU resolution to release former President Mohamed Bazoum from detention at the presidential palace.

Bazoum, a pro-Western leader, and his wife have been detained at the presidential palace since Bazoum was ousted following the 2023 coup.

Rising Islamist terrorism is not limited to Niger; the Sahel region accounted for nearly half of all terrorism-related deaths in 2025, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

IS and al-Qaeda affiliated groups have become increasingly entrenched in the Sahel; militants are particularly active in the Niger-Mali border region.

Maghrebi attempted to contact Harounda for comment regarding these evictions, but was unable to find contact information at the time of publication.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org