Six Nigerien soldiers, including the head of the mission, as well as ten “terrorists” were killed on Sunday August 13 in fighting in western Niger, according to a statement from the National Guard high command read on television. Another soldier was injured, according to the “provisional report” of the high command. The Nigerien soldiers who were in five vehicles “engaged in pursuit” against suspected jihadists, when they allegedly fell into an ambush around 11:00 a.m. (10:00 GMT) about twenty kilometers from the town of Sanam, in the west of the country.
According to the same source, the ambush was set up “by terrorists” who were driving “a dozen motorcycles”. “Ten terrorists” were killed in a “mopping-up operation” carried out by “air and ground reinforcements”, the statement said, and four motorcycles of the attackers were “destroyed”.
The African Union announced on Monday that it would hold a meeting to discuss “the evolution of the situation in Niger and efforts to remedy it”, in a press release published on X (ex-Twitter).
The meeting of the Peace and Security Council, the body in charge of conflicts and security issues within the AU, is being held as the perpetrators of the coup d’état in Niger gave various signals this weekend, saying first open to negotiation before announcing that they wanted to prosecute the overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason”. This meeting takes place at its headquarters in Addis Ababa.
On August 9, five National Guard soldiers were killed and four wounded in an attack on their position in Bourkou Bourkou, near the mining town of Samira, also in the “three borders” area, the regime said. in power since the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
The leader of the new regime, General Abdourahamane Tiani, justified the coup by “the security deterioration” in the country, undermined by violence from jihadist groups.
