Suspected militants have kidnapped seven Chadians in Niger, with one victim reportedly killed, the Chadian embassy confirmed on Friday.
The abductions occurred Tuesday along the road between N’Guigmi and Daboua, a volatile area near the Chad-Niger border, the statement said.
Since a 2023 coup, Niger’s military junta has struggled to contain extremist violence that has plagued much of the country for nearly a decade.
In southeastern Niger, militant groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province, or ISWAP, frequently launch attacks across borders.
The Chadian embassy described one victim’s death as occurring under “particularly tragic circumstances,” without providing further details on the incident or assailants.
The Lake Chad region, straddling Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, serves as a notorious sanctuary for both Boko Haram and ISWAP.
From this base, the armed groups strike neighbouring communities, fuelling instability and complicating regional counterterrorism efforts across four countries.
In 2015, the four countries reactivated the Multinational Joint Task Force, a counterinsurgency force first created in 1994 to secure Lake Chad.
Niger exited the joint force in 2025 amid escalating tensions with participating states, leaving security gaps along the troubled borderlands.
Earlier this year, the junta announced plans to establish civilian militias to support the army against anti-government armed groups, intensifying military presence.