Gunfire and loud blasts have been heard at the main airport in the Nigerien capital of Niamey, according to the Reuters news agency and an independent source. A witness told Reuters they heard explosions just after midnight. The airport is next to Base Aerienne 101, a military base previously used by American and then Russian troops. A source with the Togolese airline Asky told the Guardian that gunshots made several holes in the fuselage of its two planes on the tarmac of Niamey airport.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on Monday announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a joint statement, the military-led West African states said that the court's jurisdiction had "transformed into an instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism." Because of this, neighboring states accused the ICC of becoming "a global example of selective justice." Juntas say ICC 'incapable' of prosecuting war crimes
"Not only has terrorism not disappeared, it is actually increasing and becoming more intense... it now affects not only the north and center of the country, but also the south toward Sikasso."