The Niger government has said that last week’s deadly militant attack on a military camp in western Niger killed 89 soldiers.
The latest death toll was announced by the government on public radio Sunday.
“After a thorough search, the toll has been established as 89 dead among friendly forces, and 77 dead for the enemy,” said spokesman Zakaria Abdourahame.
On Friday the government gave a death toll of 25 in the attack that took place last Thursday.
The attack was carried out on the army outpost located dear Niger’s border with Mali.
Niger’s government said in a statement that 63 assailants were also killed.
Islamist groups connected to al Qaeda and Islamic State have been waging a war against countries in the Lake Chad basin for years now.
Last week about 20 soldiers were also killed and nearly 1,000 people made homeless in a militant attack on a town in northeastern Nigeria.
In Mali militants also this week launched a rocket attack on a military base for the United Nations in Mali.
The United Nations has already warned that the Sahel region is experiencing “a devastating surge in terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets.”
The region’s United Nations envoy, Mohamed Ibn Chambas told the UN Security Council last week that “unprecedented terrorist violence” had shaken public confidence in the region.
He said attacks had increased five-fold in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2016.
More than 4,000 deaths were reported in 2019 compared with an estimated 770 deaths three years before.
Source: Africafeeds.com
