Niger Republic’s junta had on Wednesday, August 16, announced that 17 of its soldiers were shot down in a surprise attack by insurgents, making it the deadliest attack since the July 26 coup.
The ambush had occurred on Tuesday, apprx. 60 km from the capital city, Niamey, in a southwestern area that borders Burkina Faso.
The defense ministry had added that about 100 attackers (insurgents) had been killed in the battle.
Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, had called on Niger’s military leaders to reinstate constitutional order so they could focus on security, which they admitted had become alarmingly fragile since the coup.
Recall that Niger, has been battling for years to contain an insurgency by groups and organisations linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, IS.
These two groups have killed thousands of people and have forced millions to flee their homes on account of insecurity and food shortages.
The sene of the civilian government’s inability to tackle this challenge had been one of the factors that led to the coup in Niger.
Insecurity is still a major problem near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which have also experienced military takeovers.
Niger’s coup leaders have cancelled a series of military agreements with France, although Paris has dismissed this move, on the grounds that it did not recognise the juntas as the official authorities.
