Ten soldiers were killed and 15 wounded on Friday in a coordinated assault by suspected militants near Niger’s border with Burkina Faso.
The attacks struck the villages of Bouloundjounga and Samira in Gotheye department, a region long scarred by extremist violence.
Niger’s military government reported that “several hundred mercenaries” launched the twin offensives, targeting army positions in the volatile border zone.
Defence Minister General Salifou Modi, speaking on national television, said 41 attackers were “neutralised” in the confrontation.
The onslaught adds to Niger’s decade-long struggle against groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State operating in the Sahel region.
Gotheye lies near the junction of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, a hotbed of cross-border militant activity and persistent insecurity.
Samira village hosts Niger’s only industrial-scale gold mine, a symbol of economic promise under constant threat from armed insurgents.
In May, eight mine workers were killed when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle, underlining the area’s perilous conditions.
The junta, which seized power in 2023, has vowed to restore security but faces growing challenges in stabilising the region.
Friday’s attacks underscore the fragility of the state’s grip in western Niger, where gold and gunfire often collide.
