A jihadist ambush against the Nigerien army cost the lives of 23 soldiers this week in a region close to Burkina Faso and Mali, infested by jihadist groups who are increasing attacks there, the government announced.
Since the end of July 2023, Niger has been led by soldiers who took power by force to, according to them, stem jihadist violence, but the attacks continue.
The new attack took place while the army was carrying out a
“combing operation”
in the Tillabéri region on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“During their disengagement
,” a unit was caught in
“a complex ambush”
during which 23 soldiers were killed and
“around thirty terrorists neutralized
,” the Ministry of Defense announced Thursday evening.
The operation had the
“objective of reassuring the populations victims of the abuses of armed terrorist groups: assassinations, extortion of funds, cattle thefts…”
, he adds.
“More than a hundred terrorists on board vehicles and motorcycles”
attacked an army unit between the localities of Teguey and Bankilaré using
“homemade bombs and kamikaze vehicles
,” the statement said.
“Despite the energetic response, we deplore 23 brave soldiers who fell on the field of honor and 17 wounded
. ”
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.
Since 2017, this part of Niger has been regularly targeted by attacks by these armed groups despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces, targeting civilians and soldiers alike.
At the end of January, 22 civilians were killed in an attack on the village of Motogatta in the commune of Tondikiwindi, about a hundred kilometers north of Niamey.
On the other side of this large Sahelian country, in the Diffa region (southeast), near Nigeria, the regime is also facing attacks from Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap ).
Since July 26, Niger has been ruled by a military regime that came to power through a coup d'état.
New partners
The putschists, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, had mainly highlighted
“the deterioration of the security situation”
to justify their coup.
But jihadist attacks have since intensified.
Before the coup d'état, France, a former colonial power which had 1,500 soldiers in Niger, actively participated with the Nigerien army in the fight against these jihadist groups.
French soldiers were forced by the military regime to leave the country at the end of December.
Last Saturday, Niger also denounced
“with immediate effect”
the military cooperation agreement signed with the United States in 2012, affirming that the American presence was
“illegal”
.
The United States has some 1,100 soldiers engaged in the anti-jihadist fight in the country and has a large drone base in Agadez (north).
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.
They created the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) which decided at the end of February to set up a joint force to fight against jihadist groups in the three countries.
They also left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which had threatened to intervene militarily in Niamey and imposed heavy sanctions on Niger to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to office.
Most sanctions were lifted last month and on Friday the border between Niger and its neighbor Nigeria, a major trading partner, formally reopened.