Niger: 23 soldiers killed in an ambush near Mali and Burkina. A three-day national mourning began Friday, according to a statement read on public television.
The Tillabéri region is a hideout for Sahelian jihadists, including those of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) and Al Qaeda. Like neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali also ruled by military regimes and facing jihadist violence, Niger has moved closer to new partners, such as Russia, Turkey and Iran.