Twelve Nigerien soldiers were killed on Sunday in an ambush by suspected jihadists in the Tillabéri region, in the south-west of the country, national television, Télé Sahel, announced on Tuesday August 22.
A mission of an anti-jihadist operation of the National Guard “was the target of an ambush” Sunday at the end of the day in the town of Anzourou, in an area strongly affected by the violence of these armed groups, specifies Télé Sahel.
“Twelve of our soldiers” “fell,” the outlet added, noting that the National Guard’s “response” “made it possible to inflict a heavy loss on the enemy.”
The Tillabéri region is located in the so-called “three borders” area (those that delimit Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali), a haven for Sahelian jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. For years, this part of Niger has been regularly targeted by attacks from these armed groups despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces.
“Deterioration of the security situation”
On August 15, at least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed and 20 wounded in an ambush by suspected jihadists in the department of Torodi, near the border with Burkina Faso, according to the Ministry of Defense, before the military destroyed attackers’ motorcycles.
The “deterioration of the security situation” in Niger was one of the main points cited by members of the military regime to justify their July 26 coup, which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
According to the NGO ACLED, which lists the victims of conflicts around the world, in the first six months of 2023, attacks on civilians had decreased by 49% compared to the first six months of 2022, and the death toll by 16%.
