Niger, jihadist attack in Téra

On Tuesday December 10 , in the town of Chatoumane, near Téra, west Niger, a serious tragedy took place. During the weekly market, a jihadist attack caused the death of almost 150 people, including around 90 soldiers and 50 civilians. The attackers on motorbikes hit the village and encircled the market, surprising the Defense Forces and Niger Security (FDS) and .
The attack, which appears to have been precisely planned, occurred in the particularly unstable region of Tillabéry, in the “three borders” area with Burkina Faso and Mali, where the jihadist organization known as the Islamic State in Great Sahara has is general headquarter. On Wednesday morning, the head of the armed forces, General Moussa Salaou Barmou, called a meeting urgently to analyze the situation. In the afternoon, ten bodies of soldiers were symbolically buried in the martyrs’ cemetery of Niamey. The Nigerian authorities have also decided to organize one funeral ceremony to pay homage to all victims.
The attack on Téra highlights the serious difficulties that Niger faces in counter the growing insecurity in region. Local military forces, though engaged in constant work control, often find themselves in numerical and strategic inferiority compared to armed groups.