Niger: Five soldiers killed in attack on a convoy of gold miners in the Agadez region

Aerial view of the city of Agadez AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO

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A convoy of gold miners and its military escort were attacked in the mountains of northern Niger, in the Agadez region, on Sunday 9 April. Five soldiers were killed in the ambush and five others were wounded.

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With our correspondent in Niamey, Moussa Kaka

The attack occurred in the Air Mountains. Carried out by heavily armed bandits, it targeted a convoy of gold miners from the Chibarakaten site towards the mining town of Arlit and escorted by soldiers. A local newspaper reported that the attackers infiltrated the convoy in their vehicles and destabilized it by killing the machine gun serving in the lead.

While pursuing the attackers, the soldiers were then ambushed by the armed men: five soldiers were killed on the spot and five others wounded and evacuated to the hospital in Arlit. There is currently no reliable information on the cargo of gold and gold miners.

Large-scale military operations in this area

With the opening of the Chibarakaten gold panning site, insecurity is growing. Foreign nationals with large financial means and armed surge daily, to the point of dominating the gold search work. For years, the Chibarakaten site has attracted young people of several nationalities: from Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and even Somalia. Security sources, armed bandits from Chad, Sudan and Somalia, are indexed.

To restore order in this area, large-scale military operations have been underway for several days. The areas of Chibarakaten and Orida in Djado must be secured, it is said. A high-level mission, led by the Ministers of the Interior and Defense, has just stayed in Agadez.

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