Description: The Islamic State of the Greater Sahel (ISGS) claimed responsibility for the attack in the village of Garbougna on the Tera – Niamey road in the Tillaberi region in Niger. More than 17 soldiers were killed as the military outpost in the village was overrun with several vehicles and a larger cache of ammunition and weapons seized by the militants. The Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM also claimed responsibility for several attacks in the tri – state border region, considered as a terrorist hotbed in the Sahel where groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda predominantly exercise influence and control. The attack follows a deadly escalation of terrorism in the region where countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria have been plagued by terrorism related violence and constant attacks on civilians and military personnel.
Impact: The attack signals the ongoing rapid development of operations amongst terrorist organizations which have spread their capabilities and surpassed the borders of several countries in the Sahel, operating with impunity and terrorizing the civilian population. JNIM continues with its blockade in Mali, and the evident expansion of operations across the southern parts of the country along the tri – state border area with Burkina Faso and Niger. ISGS is also rapidly scaling up its activities in the absence of serious equivalent within the security services in the Sahel countries. The military junta governments in these countries are on the brink of losing control over larger swathes of territory to terrorist organizations which are aiming at controlling areas with natural resources, infrastructure or trade routes, further suffocating the government’s attempts to restore control. The region is extremely volatile, the security situation is deteriorating by the day with several countries struggling to establish a unified front against the terrorist organizations.