Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in western Niger last week during an armed assault that also claimed the lives of 12 soldiers, according to Nigerian security sources and Indian officials.
The attack occurred near the village of Sakoira, located in the tri-border area where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali converge. The victims were employed by an Indian company working on the Kandadji dam project in Niger’s Tillaberi region.
The local government of Jharkhand, the home state of the victims, confirmed the kidnapping, revealing that all five individuals were from the region. The Indian embassy in Niger has since reached out to local authorities, seeking their help in securing the hostages’ release.
Although the perpetrators remain unidentified, Niger has previously blamed the Islamic State affiliate EIGS for deadly attacks in the area. Last month, the group was accused of attacking a mosque, killing at least 44 civilians.
This kidnapping is part of a troubling trend in the Sahel region, where militant groups linked to al Qaeda and ISIS have intensified their insurgency. Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, has been grappling with this growing threat since 2012.
The frequency of kidnappings in the region has increased this year, with foreign nationals, including an Austrian woman and a Swiss citizen, among the victims. Niger’s security forces continue to battle the insurgency as tensions rise across the borders.