Sustained heavy gunfire and loud explosions have been heard in Niger near the international airport outside the capital, Niamey.
Multiple eyewitness accounts and videos showed air defense systems apparently engaging unidentified projectiles in the early hours of Thursday.
The situation later calmed down, reports say, with an official reportedly saying the situation was now under control, without elaborating.
It is not clear what caused the blasts, or if there were any casualties. There has been no official statement from the military government.
The gunfire and blasts began shortly after midnight, according to residents of a neighborhood near the Diori Hamani International Airport, with calm returning after two hours.
The airport houses an air force base and is located about 10km (six miles) from the presidential palace.
Like its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger's military government has been fighting jihadist groups who have carried out deadly attacks across the region.
Niger is also a major producer of uranium.
A huge uranium shipment destined for export has been stuck at the airport amid unresolved legal and diplomatic complications with France after the military government nationalized the country's uranium mines.
The situation is under control. There is no need to worry, a Foreign Affairs ministry official stated, without further details.
The official also mentioned they were trying to determine whether the gunfire was linked to the uranium shipment.
Niger is led by Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power in a 2023 coup that ousted the elected civilian president.
