Seven Nigerien soldiers have been reportedly killed when their vehicle exploded on a mine in the western region of Tillabéri, where jihadist groups regularly operate, the Nigerien National Guard (GNN) said on Sunday.
According to the Guard, “A vehicle of the weekly supply escort mission hit a mine late this morning, about 6km from the village of Samira, in the department of Gothèye, near the border with Burkina Faso, said a statement from the GNN, which is attached to the Interior Ministry and is at the forefront of the anti-jihadist fight.
“Unfortunately, the death of seven occupants of the vehicle is deplored,” the statement read on state television Sunday evening.
TVC News reliably gathered that the village of Samira has been home to Niger’s only industrial gold mine since 2004.
The department of Gothèye is located on the right bank of the Niger River in the region of Tillabéri, the area of the three borders between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Recall that the Nigerien government has been fighting jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) there since February 2022, in an operation called Niya (Will, in the local language), with more than 2,000 men.
The country is also facing deadly actions by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) in its south-eastern part.
Recently, the army reportedly killed “six terrorists” and captured 19 in the Ayorou area (Tillabéri region), where violent clashes between communities have recently left several dead.
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