Niger army chief sacked after 89 soldier killed

Niger’s army chief, Gen Ahmed Mohamed, has been sacked alongside three other top officers after Islamist militants killed 89 soldiers in an assault on Thursday. 

The attack, carried out against the Chinegodar military base in the western Tillaberi region, is considered to be the biggest loss by the Nigerien military in a single day.

Gen Mohamed’s dismissal was announced on state radio on Monday after a cabinet meeting. He has been replaced by Maj Gen Salifou Modi. The government also declared three days of national mourning following Thursday’s killing. 

Gen Mohamed’s tenure has been marked by a sharp increase in attacks by al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants. Last month, 71 soldiers were killed during an attack on the Inantes camp in the same region as Thursday’s assault. 

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou is currently in France for a conference with other nations of the G5 affected by the insurgency in the Sahel. The leaders of Chad, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania are also in attendance. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Sahel leaders to use the summit to reiterate their support of the 4,500 French troops stationed in the region. Yesterday it was agreed that France would send an additional 220 troops and that the nations affected would operate under a joint command structure - Coalition for the Sahel - to tackle the insurgency. 

Photo credit: Reuters