Niamey: An Indian national was killed and another abducted in what India's embassy has described as a terrorist attack in southwestern Niger. A third individual is currently listed as missing. Local sources reported that unidentified armed attackers ambushed a Nigerien army unit that was providing security at a construction site for an electrical line in the Dosso region, approximately 100 kilometers from the capital, Niamey.
According to Nam News Network, India's embassy in Niamey urged Indian nationals in Niger to remain vigilant. The embassy stated that it is in contact with the victims' employer and families, as well as the Nigerian government, to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased man's remains. The Dosso region, which borders Nigeria and Benin, frequently experiences attacks targeting civilians and military personnel, as well as infrastructure like the giant oil pipeline transporting crude from Niger to Benin. Such attacks are generally attributed to terrorists or bandits by the authorities.
The Dosso region also borders the town of Tillaberi, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups have established a stronghold. Official Indian sources have reported that five Indian technicians were kidnapped in an April 25 attack just north of the nearby town of Sakoira, which resulted in the deaths of twelve Nigerien soldiers. Earlier this month, three Indian nationals working in Mali were kidnapped from a cement factory in the west of the country.