Ten Nigerien soldiers were killed and 15 others wounded in twin attacks by suspected jihadists near the country’s western border with Burkina Faso, the government announced Friday. The coordinated assaults also left 41 attackers dead, according to the authorities.
The attacks targeted military positions in Bouloundjounga and Samira, both located in the troubled Gotheye department, a region long plagued by violence from armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Defence Minister General Salifou Modi, reading a statement on national television, said the strikes were carried out simultaneously by “several hundred mercenaries.” The statement described intense clashes in which Nigerien forces succeeded in repelling the assailants while inflicting significant losses.
“On the enemy side, 41 mercenaries were neutralised,” Modi said.
The violence occurred near the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso, one of the most volatile regions in the Sahel, where jihadist groups have operated freely for years despite international and regional counterterrorism efforts.
The village of Samira is home to Niger’s only industrial-scale gold mine. In May, eight workers from the mining company were killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, an attack also attributed to jihadist insurgents.
Niger, now governed by a military junta following a July 2023 coup, has ramped up security operations across its western provinces. However, the country remains deeply vulnerable to extremist violence, as insurgent groups continue to exploit porous borders and local grievances.
The government has pledged to bolster its counterterrorism response while working to secure strategic economic sites like the Samira gold mine.
Written By Rodney Mbua
