An ambush carried out by Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents claimed the lives of 11 soldiers in northern Niger near the Algerian border, local sources reported Saturday.
The attack occurred Friday in the remote Ekade Malane region, where an army patrol was suddenly surrounded and overpowered. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) later claimed responsibility for the assault, according to the Air Info news website.
The fallen soldiers were laid to rest on Saturday in a solemn ceremony attended by top military officials, including armed forces chief of staff General Moussa Salaou Barmou.
State radio confirmed the attack but referred to the assailants as “bandits” rather than insurgents, a term often reserved for militants operating in Niger’s western regions.
Although Niger’s northern desert is not a traditional hotspot for jihadist activity, the area is infamous for arms smuggling, human trafficking, and clandestine migration routes toward Europe.
The country has been under military rule since July 2023, when a junta seized power, pledging to restore order and strengthen national security.
Despite these promises, violence has escalated, with at least 2,400 people killed in attacks since the coup, according to international conflict monitor ACLED.
Niger, alongside its junta-led allies Mali and Burkina Faso, is forming a 5,000-strong joint force aimed at combating insurgency and stabilizing the volatile Sahel region.
