- Twenty-one Nigerien soldiers killed in an ambush
- Niger is grappling with a surge in violence
- This attack reflects the broader security crisis
Twenty-one Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush near the border with Burkina Faso, according to a statement by the country’s ruling military junta.
The attackers were identified only as a “terrorist group.”
Niger is grappling with a surge in violence fueled by numerous armed groups.
Last week, the rebel Patriotic Liberation Front, formed in opposition to the military junta’s 2023 coup, targeted a Chinese-backed pipeline.
Wider Instability in the Sahel
This attack reflects the broader security crisis engulfing the Sahel region, which also includes Mali and Burkina Faso.
Both these nations are led by military juntas who, like Niger, are battling Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. This decade-long conflict has displaced millions and claimed thousands of lives.
Shifting Alliances
The military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso have both expelled French forces and embraced Russian mercenaries in their fight against the Islamist groups. This move highlights the changing geopolitical landscape in the region.
