Suspected Jihadists Kill 20 Soldiers in Niger Attacks

At least 20 Nigerien soldiers have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks by suspected jihadists in the country’s troubled western region of Tillabéri, security sources confirmed yesterday.

The assaults, which took place on Wednesday near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, were attributed to jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State (IS).

A former local official told AFP that “20 soldiers were killed by terrorists,” while other reports indicated an even higher toll, including members of the National Guard.

Security monitoring group Wamaps, which focuses on Sahel conflicts, said on X (formerly Twitter) that militants affiliated with IS carried out “multiple assaults,” including an attack on a Nigerien army position near Tillabéri airport that left 12 soldiers dead.

The group further reported that two separate attacks in central Tillabéri’s Digga Banda neighbourhood killed at least two civilians. Fifteen National Guard troops responding to those incidents were also killed.

Civil society coalition G25, known for its links to Niger’s former civilian leadership ousted in the 2023 coup, strongly condemned the violence, blaming it on the regional IS affiliate. The group cited casualty figures of 12 soldiers and 15 National Guard officers killed.

International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Nigerien authorities on Wednesday to step up efforts to protect civilians in Tillabéri, which has suffered repeated jihadist onslaughts since March.

The Tillabéri region remains one of the epicentres of jihadist activity in the Sahel, where armed groups continue to exploit porous borders, weak state control, and political instability.