from SOULEYMANE ADAMU in Niamey, Niger
Niger Bureau
MIAMEY, (CAJ News) – THE killing of soldiers in Niger by an armed group supporting the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, is a new twist to the crisis in the West African country.
It also exacerbates insecurity in a nation that is enduring an Islamist insurgency.
A series of suspected militant attacks between September 15 and 17 have left at least 12 soldiers dead and about 30 more wounded.
The Patriotic Movement for Freedom and Justice (MPLJ), a newer armed group fighting for the liberation of Bazoum, has claimed the September 16 attack.
The attack was a landmine explosion in the Diffa region in the southeast of Niger.
Diffa is on the border with Nigeria, about 1 100km, east of Niamey, the capital city.
Other attacks on military positions have been reported in the regions of Chirfa, about 270km south of the Libyan border, and Tillaberi, some 100km northwest of Niamey.
Crisis24 believes the two other attacks not claimed by the MPLJ could have been carried out by the al-Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), or the Islamic State.
The military government of Abdourahamane Tchiani reported that “hundreds” of militia had been arrested.
Crisis24 forecast the authorities to implement movement restrictions, vehicle checks or curfew measures in impacted areas at short notice in response.
“Similar attacks and armed clashes between militants, political opponents, and militia personnel cannot be ruled out over the coming days,” the security think-tank warned.
Nigeria.s northern neighbor has faced an Islamist insurgency from the mid-2010s.
However, the emergence of MPLJ is a new phenomenon.
It supports Bazoum, who was overthrown in July 2023.
The 64-year-old remains under the detention of the military government. In June, he was stripped of his immunity for prosecution. It has been reported he could face treason charges.
– CAJ News