Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Jihadists on 200 motorbikes storm Niger army base
More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes have attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead, the country's defence ministry said.
The attackers - described by the ministry as "mercenaries" - raided the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers.
The ministry said that its forces killed "dozens of terrorists" in the battle.
...
West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing an insurgency from different jihadist groups which operate across the Sahel region.
The three countries have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm20m07kdy3o
The attackers - described by the ministry as "mercenaries" - raided the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers.
The ministry said that its forces killed "dozens of terrorists" in the battle.
...
West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing an insurgency from different jihadist groups which operate across the Sahel region.
The three countries have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm20m07kdy3o
But their new pals didn't work out too well:
Niger Suspends Surveillance Services From Russia, Turkey
The military government of Niger has terminated its intelligence cooperation with Russia and Turkey, saying the surveillance systems and related personnel failed to live up to expectations.
Niger’s General Directorate of Documentation and External Security was particularly upset with the quality of telephone communications interceptions, according to Military Africa.
Niger instead turned to a Moroccan company specializing in digital intelligence. That deal soured quickly when Niger learned that the company had an indirect connection with France. Since the July 2023 military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the Niger junta’s foreign policy has excluded traditional Western partners.
Since that time, the country’s lack of reliable intelligence partners has undermined its ability to monitor and respond to security threats.
Niger reportedly did not want the public to know about its termination of the Russian and Turkish surveillance services. Jurist news reported that three radio journalists were arrested on May 8 after their station aired a report about the terminations, and the brief partnership with the Moroccan company.
https://adf-magazine.com/2025/06/niger-suspends-surveillance-services-from-russia-turkey/
The military government of Niger has terminated its intelligence cooperation with Russia and Turkey, saying the surveillance systems and related personnel failed to live up to expectations.
Niger’s General Directorate of Documentation and External Security was particularly upset with the quality of telephone communications interceptions, according to Military Africa.
Niger instead turned to a Moroccan company specializing in digital intelligence. That deal soured quickly when Niger learned that the company had an indirect connection with France. Since the July 2023 military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the Niger junta’s foreign policy has excluded traditional Western partners.
Since that time, the country’s lack of reliable intelligence partners has undermined its ability to monitor and respond to security threats.
Niger reportedly did not want the public to know about its termination of the Russian and Turkish surveillance services. Jurist news reported that three radio journalists were arrested on May 8 after their station aired a report about the terminations, and the brief partnership with the Moroccan company.
https://adf-magazine.com/2025/06/niger-suspends-surveillance-services-from-russia-turkey/
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read