A major jihadist attack occurred on the morning of September 28th in Niger’s tri-border region. An army fortress located near Kandadji, where a hydroelectric dam is under construction, was the target of this assault. While an official casualty count is pending, unconfirmed reports suggest that approximately a dozen soldiers may have lost their lives.
According to witnesses interviewed by RFI, several dozen assailants on motorcycles and in vehicles launched the attack on this military position, resulting in intense combat, as per a security source. The jihadists were reportedly repelled only when helicopters arrived on the scene.
Reinforcements have been dispatched to the area, and pursuit operations extended to Tamalate, a village situated on the Malian side of the border, which has been under the control of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) since March 2022.
This fortress was constructed to ensure the security of the Kandadji dam construction site, situated on the Niger River. The dam is expected to become the country’s primary hydroelectric facility in due course, however, the project has been stalled due to the suspension of international funding.
Security sources express concern over the ISGS potentially opening a new front in Niger, particularly given the group’s recent expansion into Mali. Furthermore, over the past two months, several elite anti-terrorist units, including hundreds of specially trained special forces personnel, have been redeployed to Niamey to safeguard the transitional government.