Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced that 34 soldiers were killed in a violent assault carried out by a group of armed men, estimated in the hundreds, on the town of Banibangou in western Niger, near the Malian border.
According to the official statement, “the attackers used eight vehicles and over 200 motorcycles,” resulting in 14 additional soldiers wounded and dozens of assailants killed.
In response to the attack, the ministry confirmed that military reinforcements were deployed to the area, and a ground and air operation was launched to pursue the perpetrators.
No group has claimed responsibility so far, but the statement described the attackers as “a gang of hundreds of mercenaries.”
The attack comes amid ongoing security turmoil in Niger, particularly in border regions with Mali and Burkina Faso, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda are active.
This incident is the latest in a series of deadly assaults targeting security forces across the Sahel region, which has witnessed escalating violence in recent years.
