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Niger Ramps Up Border Troops to Stop Sahel Terror Surge!

Niger Ramps Up Border Troops to Stop Sahel Terror Surge!

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Nigerien soldiers wait for instructions before attacking a enemy command and control node, during training at Camp Po, Burkina Faso, on Feb. 20, 2019, during Flintlock 19. Flintlock is an annual special operations and State Department exercise involving more than 2,000 soldiers, airmen, naval and police forces from more than 30 nations. Lessons learned at Flintlock strengthen global security institutions, promote multinational sharing of information, and develop interoperability among western and partner nations in North and West Africa. (Army photo by Richard Bumgardner)

Niger’s military junta deployed an additional 1,500 troops to its border with Burkina Faso on April 15, 2025, citing heightened terrorist threats from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, per Reuters.

The move follows a March 2025 attack in Tillaberi that killed 23 Nigerien soldiers, attributed to the Sahel-based Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Niger’s leader, announced the reinforcements to secure 300 kilometers of porous border, where 80% of cross-border attacks occur, per ECOWAS data.

Burkina Faso, facing 6,000 militant attacks since 2022, has displaced 2 million people, with 10% fleeing to Niger, per UNHCR. Niger’s 2024 expulsion of French troops and reliance on Russian advisors, coupled with a 30% defense budget hike to $400 million, reflect a shift in counterterrorism strategy.

Local leaders report 500 civilian deaths in 2025’s cross-border raids, per Amnesty International. The deployment, supported by 200 armored vehicles, aims to curb arms smuggling, which fuels 70% of Sahel violence, per UN data. Regional talks for a joint Sahel force remain stalled.