Niger is sinking deeper every day into a security disaster, marked by tragedies which testify to the collapse of the State and the disarray of the defense and security forces. Seventeen soldiers have just lost their lives in an ambush claimed by the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS). This tragedy accentuates concerns about the nightmarish security situation in the country.
It is in the border region between Burkina Faso and Niger that blood has been shed again. Near the village of Katchirga, between Dori and Seytenga, in the Burkinabé Sahel, a convoy of goods transport trucks, although escorted by joint Nigerien and Burkinabe forces, was the target of an extremely brutal raid.
The toll is heavy:
• 17 Nigerien soldiers, all from the parachute company, an elite unit of the national army, were killed;
• 4 soldiers missing;
• 6 civilians, truck drivers, killed;
• 5 military vehicles destroyed;
• 3 others taken away by the attackers.
This border area, as the map indicates, is a strategic crossroads where terrorist attacks are increasingly frequent. The EIGS claimed responsibility for this criminal act, confirming both its expansion and its rise to power in a region marked by instability and chronic insecurity.
Despite this tragedy, the ruling junta persists in denial in the face of the rapid and inexorable deterioration of the security situation. It seeks to minimize, or even deny, the scale of human and material losses. Young soldiers, often poorly equipped and poorly supervised, are sent into combat without a clear strategy, victims of the thoughtlessness of their hierarchical leaders.
The latter have neither a viable war plan nor a strategic vision to counter the growing terrorist threat. Every day, successive waves of fighters are sacrificed on the battlefield, revealing the total absence of preparation and military leadership.
In our columns, we recently mentioned, just today, the security distress in Niger. Tragic events, such as this deadly ambush, confirm the concerns already expressed.
The junta remains unmoved, insensitive to the massacres of young soldiers carried away in the prime of their lives. This cynicism arouses anger and indignation among the population. The junta’s lack of empathy towards the killed fighters further widens the gap between the troops and their officers. It also reveals an alarming blindness of the military authorities, totally disconnected from the realities on the ground.
The urgency of the situation requires a surge of conscience and an assumption of responsibility by the authorities in place. Cross-border cooperation and support from international partners, which have proven their effectiveness in the past, seem to be the only viable solutions to contain this growing threat.
Each day of delay increases the already dramatic human toll and further exposes civilian populations to certain dangers.
The deadly ambush near Katchirga highlights Niger’s growing vulnerability to the terrorist threat. It is no longer possible to hide this overwhelming reality. The authorities must open their eyes, recognize the scale of the challenge and confront the terrorist nebula and its consequences with courage and lucidity.
However, current leaders seem locked in their certainties, refusing to admit the seriousness of the situation. This posture of denial, accompanied by unnecessary boasting, only worsens the situation and delays the solutions necessary to save the country.
Samir Moussa
