Three days after the attack which claimed the lives of six French aid workers in Niger, the French Foreign Ministry decided to place the entire country in the red zone, ie “formally not recommended”. Only the capital, Niamey, where the victims were based, escapes this classification.
Before the attack, the southern part of the country was in the orange zone ("not recommended except for imperative reasons") and the road leading to the nature reserve where the attack took place as well as the neighboring town of Kouré in yellow (increased vigilance with limited risks "compatible with tourism"), according to the advice for travelers published on the site diplomatie.gouv.fr.
Terrorist threat
"Due to the security situation throughout the region, the terrorist threat weighing on Niger, in particular outside the capital and near the borders, is very high," said the Quai d'Orsay in its travel advice.
"Terrorist movements present in the Sahel as well as in Nigeria and in the lakeside zone (Boko Haram) are likely to carry out operations in various places in Niger", continues the ministry. "Places frequented by expatriates are particularly targeted," he further underlines.
A tense border area
The situation is particularly tense in the so-called “three borders” area (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso), close to the site of the attack and which has become a den of Sahelian jihadists, including the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS).
In total, six French and a Nigerien working for the French NGO Acted (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) were killed on Sunday with their Nigerien guide by armed men during an excursion in the giraffe reserve from Kouré, 60 km south-east of Niamey. President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced a strengthening of security measures for French nationals in the region.
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