Niger’s military said it killed 13 jihadist fighters and arrested another during raids on illegal gold mines in the country’s west, aiming to disrupt insurgent financing networks.
The raids, carried out last week in Tagueye near the Burkina Faso border, targeted informal mining sites controlled by armed groups. Soldiers also seized materials used to make improvised explosive devices, the army said in a statement released over the weekend.
“These sites, once under terrorist control, have been dismantled and rendered inoperative,” the army said. “The operation aimed to dry up the financial sources of terrorist groups.”
Niger, like its Sahel neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, is battling a violent insurgency by jihadist factions linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. Thousands have been killed and entire villages seized in the country’s western and southern regions.
Since a military junta seized power, Niger has expelled French troops and turned to Russian support in its fight against Islamist militants.
Ryan Cummings, director of the risk consultancy Signal Risk, said the raids may offer a temporary disruption to jihadist revenue streams but warned of long-term challenges. “Once state forces withdraw, militants often return to the same sites and resume operations,” he said.
The insurgency has deepened Niger’s humanitarian crisis. An estimated 4.5 million people—roughly 17% of the population—needed humanitarian assistance in 2024, according to the United Nations.
In May, eight employees of Nguvu Mining were killed when a military-escorted bus hit an explosive device near the Samira Hill gold mine, southwest of Niamey, a company official told Reuters.
