State television in Niger Republic on Tuesday stated that 12 troops were allegedly murdered by armed Islamists in the remote southwest of the country.
According to Tele Sahel, national guards conducting an anti-jihadist operation were “the target of an ambush” on Sunday night in the Tillaberi region, specifically in the town of Anzourou.
It went on to say that “heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy” as a result of the forces’ “response.”
The servicemen were reportedly buried in a ceremony attended by Lieutenant Colonel Maina Boucar, the military administrator of the province.
On August 15, authorities reported that at least 17 troops were killed near the town of Koutougou in Tillaberi.
More than 100 of the attackers, who were fleeing on motorcycles, were “neutralised,” while another 20 soldiers were injured.
After Mohamed Bazoum, the elected president of Niger, was held by guards on July 26, the regional body ECOWAS threatened to use force to restore him to office.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Niger had been suspended from the African Union until civilian authority was restored, and that the organisation would evaluate the consequences of any armed action.
Niger’s new leaders claimed that security had worsened under Bazoum as an excuse for the coup.
