Niger: the army staff welcomes the successes encountered with Barkhane on the Malian border
Nigerien soldiers on patrol (illustrative image).
ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The Nigerien armed forces and their main ally, the French force Barkhane, carried out fifteen joint operations in the west on the border with Mali, an area under strong pressure from armed terrorist groups.
Thirty suspected jihadists were arrested.
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with our correspondent in Niamey,
Moussa Kaka
These military operations by the Nigerien special forces and the
French Barkhane force
lasted four months, from July to October.
They were jointly planned and conducted at the Mali border.
According to a press release from the staff of the Nigerien armies, these operations made it possible to destroy several logistics points and rolling stock belonging to suspected jihadists, in this border area of Mali subject to
strong pressure from jihadist groups
.
Weapons and ammunition, as well as means of communication were seized.
►
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The staff specifies that about thirty suspects were arrested.
These joint operations of the two armies during the last rainy season contributed, it is said, to the establishment of a climate of serenity which favored the resumption of agro-pastoral activities.
They also made it possible to carry out food distributions and free medical consultations in the area concerned.
Also according to the press release, the Chief of Staff of the Niger Armed Forces, General Salifou Modi, hailed the positive results of the operations as well as the good collaboration with Barkhane: 1,730 French soldiers are deployed in Niger.
These soldiers support their Nigerien colleagues in the fight against terrorism where, since 2017, jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have been threatening Niger.
►
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