Niger: Another ambush by militant group in Tahoua region

According to a report by BBC News on 3 May 2021, at least 16 soldiers were killed in an ambush by Islamic militants in the western Tahoua region, where 200 civilians had been killed in March 2021. The militants took away three military vehicles. World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "There has been an uptick in attacks in Niger since the beginning of 2021. Al-Qaeda and Islamic State group affiliates in particular have been perpetrating recurrent attacks in the Tillabƒ©ri and Tahoua regions, bordering northern Mali. Although the Tillia and Tassara areas in Tahoua have been under a state of emergency for several months, militant groups have been able to expand their operations and the government seems to have no effective way of bringing the situation under control. Given that the militants" main aim is to establish an Islamic caliphate, any progress in this direction will have serious implications for Christians in the country, and the Sahel region in general.‚ Already, most of the minority Christian population in the country feel threatened and live in fear of attack."