Several people were killed and others injured in the attack by suspected jihadists of a border post between Niger and Burkina Faso, around 100 kilometers southwest of Niamey, AFP learned on Thursday. December 23 from local sources.
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“It was the Makalondi border checkpoint that was targeted by a major attack by armed men on the night of Wednesday to Thursday and there were deaths and injuries.“, A local elected official told AFP. This elected representative does not specify the circumstances of the attack on this post where customs officers, gendarmes and police officers work permanently. A security source confirmed the attack but without giving an account. According to another local source “customs officers and civilians are among the dead“, Specifying that the attackers have”torched vehicles and burned premises used as offices“.
The post in question is located a few kilometers from Makalondi, the last major town in Niger before the Burkinabè border. Makalondi is a town in the department of Torodi located in the south-west of the Tillabéri region which is located in the area known as “three bordersBetween Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which has become a den of Sahelian jihadists, including the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS).
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For years, western Niger has continued to be regularly targeted by attacks from Islamist groups, despite the massive deployment of national anti-jihadist forces and the state of emergency in force for years. In November 2018, two gendarmes had already been killed in Makalondi when their position was attacked by men riding motorcycles.
On Wednesday, the governorate of Tillabéri announced the closure of many service stations in several departments in order to disrupt the refueling of the jihadists who operate on motorcycles and off-road. In an attempt to prevent the movement and supply of jihadists, the authorities had already closed markets and refugee camps and banned the circulation of motorcycles. In addition to jihadist violence, western Niger is hit by a serious food crisis.