Gunmen in western Niger abducted five Indian nationals in a brazen attack last week, sources confirmed.
The assault near Sakoira also tragically claimed the lives of twelve Nigerien soldiers, casting a pall over the volatile tri-border region.
The kidnapped men were employees of an Indian firm contributing to Niger’s crucial Kandadji dam project, security officials revealed.
Authorities in the Indian state of Jharkhand have confirmed the identities of the five abducted citizens.
The Jharkhand government stated these individuals were working in Niger’s Tillaberi region.
The Indian embassy in Niger is actively engaging with Nigerian authorities to expedite the safe release of their citizens.
While the perpetrators remain officially unidentified, suspicion falls on jihadist groups active in the Sahel.
Niger previously implicated the Islamic State affiliate, EIGS, in a deadly mosque attack last month.
The wider region grapples with a persistent insurgency linked to both al Qaeda and Islamic State, a conflict that originated in Mali over a decade ago.
This latest incident underscores a worrying surge in kidnappings within Niger’s borders this year.
An Austrian woman and a Swiss citizen were previously abducted in separate incidents in January and April.
Additionally, four Moroccan truck drivers vanished near the Burkina Faso border in January, painting a grim picture of escalating insecurity.
