By RFIPosted on 12-01-2020Modified on 12-01-2020 at 14:13
In Niger, security sources confirmed, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, January 12, that the attack on Thursday, against the Chinagoder military camp left 89 dead among the Defense and Security Forces (SDF). We are still waiting for an official communication on this heavy toll, a silence that causes speculation and irritation in Niamey.
The 89 bodies of soldiers who died in Chinagoder now rest in the Carré des martyrs, a cemetery dedicated to the valiant soldiers who distinguished themselves in combat.
In the absence of any official press release specifying the real number of dead and other missing, speculation is rife on social networks. Civil society actors and political party leaders raise their voices. " Nigeriens want to know the truth about their soldiers, " they write.
Comparing the first official figures of the 25 dead announced and the 89 buried on Saturday, the Nigeriens are simply skeptical. Faced with all these questions and dissatisfactions, only the Extraordinary Defense Council, currently underway as President of the Republic, will be able to provide clear answers.
All day long, Nigerians will have their ears glued to their radios while awaiting a more reassuring official statement and new measures to be taken.
On the ground, calm returned to Chinagoder and Banibangou prefecture . According to the governor of the Tillabéri region, hurried reinforcements arrived in the area to deal with any eventuality. " Reconnaissance planes are constantly monitoring the area, " said security sources.
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