At least 34 soldiers were killed when more than 200 motorcycle-wielding gunmen stormed a Niger army base close to the Mali border, according to the defence ministry of the nation.
The ministry called the attackers “mercenaries”; they attacked the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, wounding 14 additional soldiers.
“Dozens of terrorists” were killed in the battle, according to the ministry. In 2023, the military of Niger was under pressure for not stopping militant attacks, which was one of the reasons it overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
In a statement broadcast on state television, the ministry said; “This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against [the town of] Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes.”
It further stated that to find the attackers, the troops were conducting search operations in Banibangou. More ‘terror deaths’ occurred in this region than in the entire world and Military leaders in Niger will nationalise a uranium company.
The town is vulnerable to jihadist attacks by Islamist organisations because it is located near the three-way border between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. French and American forces that had played a significant role in the war against jihadists have been driven out of Niger by the country’s ruling junta.
Several jihadist organisations operating throughout the Sahel region are waging an insurgency against West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
To combat the jihadists, the three nations have forged an alliance and reduced their ties with the West, relying on Russia and Turkey to meet their security requirements. Still, the violence has persisted.