Niger military blame France, Cote d'Ivoire and Benin for attack near airport

Di head of Niger junta on Thursday tank Russia for helping dem to scata di attack wey happun for di airport, and e accuse di presidents of France and Benin of supporting dos responsible.

Suspected jihadists bin launch one attack on di international airport outside Niger capital Niamey.

Niger defence ministry tok say four military personnel injure, and dem kill 20 attackers, for one state television wey confam say one French national dey among dem.

Di ministry add say dem arrest 11 pipo ova di incident for Diori Hamani International Airport overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, wia pipo nearby hear sustained heavy gunfire and loud explosions.

Eyewitness accounts and videos bin show as air defence systems clearly engage unidentified projectiles for di early hours of Thursday but services for di airport return to normal during di day.

Di military junta wey bin come to power for July 2023 coup get frosty relations wit France and Benin, and di junta dey regularly accuse dem of trying to destabilise Niger, accuse wey both kontris don deny.

"We hail all di defence and security forces... as well as Russian partners wey defend dia security sector wit professionalism," General Abdourahamane Tchiani tok on state radio.

"We remind di sponsors of dis mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon and Alassane Ouattara say: we don hear dem bark quite enough; now make dem ready to listen to us."

Niger Defence Minister, Salifou Modi, for one statement on public television tok say di mercenaries bin attack dia air base for di capital for "about 30 minutes" bifor one "air and ground response".

Di channel broadcast footage of Tchiani wey visit di military base, show di bodies of di attackers and tok say "one Frenchman" dey among dem.

Di airport dey house one air force base and e dey about 10km (six miles) from di presidential palace.

One local resident tell BBC say dem fire shots from outside di airport, wey target di planes.

Odas describe dia fears, as dem hear di gunshots and explosions.

"We no sleep last night," one resident tok. "Our room and di whole house bin dey shake from di gunshots and explosions," she tok.

"Yesterday, na di first time I don eva hear gunfire," anoda woman tok. "Fear catch us well-well."

Several unconfirmed reports tok say di unknown assailants throw explosive devices towards di airport area bifor dem begin exchange fire wit security forces.

According to di FlightRadar24 website, dem divert several flights wey bin dey go Niamey.

AFP report heavy security deployment around di airport on Thursday morning.

Niger, like dia neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, dey fight jihadists wey don carry out deadly attacks across di region.

Di kontri also na major producer of uranium.

During di gunfire, dem attack one huge uranium shipment destined for export for di airport for di middle of unresolved legal and diplomatic complications wit France afta di military govment nationalise di uranium mines.