At least 16 Nigerien soldiers were killed and 23 others wounded in an armed attack in western Niger, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, the country’s state news agency reported on Sunday.
The agency said the attack targeted a military detachment in Téra, in the Tillabéri region, on Friday, July 17.
“Sixteen soldiers were killed and 23 others wounded, nine of them seriously,” the report said, adding that 15 attackers were also killed during the fighting.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have faced a sharp increase in attacks by armed groups operating across the Sahel, particularly in remote border regions where government forces have struggled to maintain control.
In June, Niger came under a major surprise assault by fighters affiliated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, prompting the Defence Ministry to launch a large-scale military operation in response.
The growing number of coordinated attacks across the Sahel has also led Burkina Faso and Benin to intensify military mobilisation as regional governments attempt to contain worsening insecurity.