Niger has reinforced its military presence along its southwestern border with Burkina Faso in response to a growing security threat posed by armed groups, a security source told AFP on Thursday.
Since the military took power in July 2023, Niger has faced escalating attacks by militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. According to an army operations bulletin, the Torodi region has seen a surge in violence in recent days. On April 14, a military patrol came under attack from what authorities called “criminal armed groups,” resulting in the deaths of six assailants. One soldier was slightly injured, and troops recovered motorcycles and weapons.
Earlier, on April 6, an armed group attacked both a neighborhood and a police station in Makalondi, near the border with Burkina Faso. No casualties were reported, but a series of earlier attacks on minibuses triggered population displacement.
The military has responded by bolstering its presence to “reassure the population” and support the gradual return of those who fled. Makalondi, located roughly 100 kilometers from the capital Niamey and just a few kilometers from the border, has been a repeated target of jihadist attacks since 2018 despite ongoing counter-terrorism efforts and a state of emergency.
Additionally, the army reported the recent arrest of a senior figure in the Salafist jihadist group JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), though further details were not provided.
Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso—also under military rule—has joined forces under the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States. Together, they are establishing a unified military front to combat jihadist threats across a vast, landlocked area of 2.8 million square kilometers.
“Our people expect results,” said Burkinabe Chief of Staff General Moussa Diallo at a recent summit with Malian and Nigerien counterparts. “This unified force must reflect our absolute rejection of dependency on foreign military support.”