Twelve Nigerien soldiers were killed in an attack in western Niger, and two suspects have been arrested, according to a statement from the military seen by Reuters on Saturday.
The attack occurred on Friday near the tri-border area of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, which is a hotspot for a jihadist insurgency in West Africa tied to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
The assailants, described by the military as terrorists, launched a “surprise offensive” on a military unit conducting a mission approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of Sakoira village. The statement did not specify the identity of the attackers, but last month, Niger attributed an attack on a mosque near the same tri-border region to the Islamic State-affiliated EIGS group, which left at least 44 civilians dead.
The Sahel insurgency began in 2012 as a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali and has since spread into Burkina Faso, Niger, and other West African countries. The ongoing violence has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions, with militants targeting villages, military posts, and army convoys.
The failure of governments to restore security has led to military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023. All three countries are currently under military rule, despite pressure from regional and international communities to return to civilian governance. In response to these coups, military authorities have severed ties with traditional Western allies like France and the U.S., turning instead to Russia for assistance in combating jihadist forces.
