Gunfire heard at Niger capital's airport

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Gunfire heard at Niger capital's airportJust now Share Save Add 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 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 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. No group has said it was responsible for Thursday's attack and the authorities have not yet commented.

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But an affiliate to the Islamic State group said it had carried out January's assault. com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at Africa or on Instagram at bbcafricaThis breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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