Around 10 Nigerien soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack on a military position near the southeastern town of N'Guigmi on Friday, according to local sources and the state-run Niger News Agency (ANP).
The assault targeted a military outpost on the outskirts of N'Guigmi, a garrison town in the Diffa region near Lake Chad, an area that has become a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), since 2009.
A local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said "around 10 soldiers" were killed in the attack. The source added that several of the attackers were also killed and that the army had launched search operations in the area.
Residents from N'Guigmi reported on social media that the death toll included 10 soldiers and four members of the National Guard. While the ANP confirmed the attack, it did not provide an official casualty figure, saying only that members of the country's defense and security forces had lost their lives.
The agency reported that Diffa Governor General Mahamadou Ibrahim Bagadoma attended the burial ceremony for the fallen troops in N'Guigmi hours after the attack, paying tribute to personnel who "fell with weapons in hand defending the homeland."
The Lake Chad basin has been plagued for years by an insurgency led by Boko Haram and ISWAP, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, particularly in northeastern Nigeria. The violence has spilled over into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the four countries to revive their Multinational Joint Task Force to combat the jihadist groups.
In May, Chad launched airstrikes and ground operations against Boko Haram positions on remote islands in Lake Chad, with support from Nigeria and Niger, following deadly attacks on its military.
Beyond the Boko Haram threat in the southeast, Niger also faces persistent attacks in its western regions from jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The country has been ruled by a military government since the July 2023 coup, which has struggled to contain the growing insecurity across the country.
