NIAMEY, Jan 29 - Niger's military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday blamed French, Benin and Ivory Coast presidents for sponsoring the attack on Niamey international airport, an accusation he made without offering any evidence.

Gunfire and loud explosions echoed around Niger's international airport in Niamey shortly before midnight in what two security sources described as a "terrorist attack", before calm returned to the capital on Thursday morning.