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Niger reported a deadly border attack on its soldiers by Islamist forces hours after it denied reaching an agreement with its neighbour Algeria on a six-month transition, increasing the pressure on the ruling junta to find a solution to the west African country’s political crisis.
The attack is the deadliest in Niger since the army ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum in a July coup, threatening the stability of a country that had been regarded as a western ally in the volatile Sahel region. General Omar Tchiani, the head of Bazoum’s presidential guard, leads Niger alongside the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
The soldiers were killed when they were returning from an operation near the village of Tabatol close to the western border with Mali and came under attack from about 100 “terrorists in vehicles and motorcycles”, according to a defence ministry statement.
The statement did not specify when the Nigerien soldiers lost their lives but said the initial operation took place between September 26 and October 2. They were attacked with improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles, the ministry added on Tuesday.
The ministry claimed “several dozen terrorists” were killed and that intercepted communications proved the insurgents benefited from “external expertise”. The junta did not identify what party was externally supporting the group. Three days of mourning have been declared.
Countries in the Sahel, the semi-arid region south of the Sahara, have been battling al-Qaeda and Isis-linked groups for more than a decade. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are all now ruled by juntas who are struggling to deliver on promises of improving security.
Niger had the best record in reducing violence, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a conflict data reporting group, with violent attacks falling by 40 per cent in the first six months of 2023, compared with the second half of last year.
The junta’s relationship with former colonial power France, which continues to recognise Bazoum as the legitimate leader of Niger, has deteriorated. President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that French troops would depart Niger by the end of the year at the request of the junta, ending a partnership that supported Niger’s fight against armed groups.
News of the attack came amid Algiers’ claims that Niger had accepted its offer to act as a mediator to resolve the country’s political crisis. Algeria had stepped in to mediate in August after rejecting an Ecowas proposal, led by Nigerian president Bola Tinubu, to restore constitutional order in Niger with the use of military force if necessary.
“The Algerian government has received via the Nigerien foreign affairs ministry a (statement of) acceptance of Algerian mediation aimed at promoting a political solution to the crisis in Niger,” Algeria’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
But Niger, despite acknowledging that a meeting took place between the countries’ foreign ministries in New York on September 25, responded by saying it was not aware of such a deal.
Niger’s foreign ministry said that while it welcomed the mediation offer from Algiers, the duration of a return to democracy could only be determined after a period of an “inclusive” national dialogue.
“The government of the Republic of Niger rejects the said conclusions [of Algeria] while reiterating its desire to preserve the ties of friendship and fraternity with Algeria”.