On January 2, 2021, jihadists on over 100 motorcycles raided Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumadareye in Niger’s Tillaberi region, killing 100 civilians, local mayor Almou Hassane told AFP.
The attack, the deadliest in the Sahel’s eight-year insurgency, targeted villages near Mali’s border, exploiting a security void, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said. Niger declared three days of mourning, with flags at half-staff.
French Losses in Mali
The same day, an IED in Mali’s Menaka region killed two French soldiers, Sergeant Yvonne Huynh and Brigadier Loic Risser, from Operation Barkhane, raising France’s death toll to 50 since 2013, per the French presidency. Days earlier, on December 28, 2020, another IED killed three soldiers. The al-Qaida-linked GSIM claimed the earlier attack, citing France’s presence, per Reuters.
Sahel’s Escalating Crisis
The Sahel, spanning Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has seen over 4,000 deaths and nearly 3 million displaced since 2019, per UN data. Hit-and-run raids and IEDs by al-Qaeda and ISIL affiliates dominate jihadist tactics. Niger faces dual threats: ISGS from Mali in the west and Boko Haram from Nigeria in the southeast, with 200 soldiers killed in two years, per Al Jazeera.
Niger’s Response
Interior Minister Alhada, after a security meeting, vowed to boost troop numbers near Mali to create a “security cordon,” despite Mali’s weak border control. President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, who won 39.33% in the December 27, 2020, election’s first round, shifted from static posts to patrols to counter raids, telling AFP, “We’ve learned from our failures.” Niger plans to double its army to 50,000 by 2026, though funding remains a challenge, consuming 17% of the budget.
Ethnic Tensions Fuel Violence
The International Crisis Group notes that jihadists exploit ethnic divides, recruiting nomadic Fulani while targeting sedentary farmers as state allies, per researcher Yvan Guichaoua. Alhada announced forums with ethnic and religious leaders to curb intra-communal conflict, warning of a potential “flareup” after visiting victims’ graves, per AFP.
France’s Strategic Shift
France, with 5,100 Barkhane troops, plans to withdraw 600 reinforcements, Defense Minister Florence Parly told Le Parisien. President Emmanuel Macron eyes further cuts before 2022 elections, wary of shifting public opinion, a government source told AFP. The Sahel’s weak militaries, like Niger’s under-equipped forces, strain France’s role, per Crisis Group.
