More than 100 killed in Niger terrorist attack

Agencies Niamey At least 79 militants and 29 soldiers are dead after an attack on a G5 military base in Western Niger, an army official confirmed on Sunday...

AgenciesNiameyAt least 79 militants and 29 soldiers are dead after an attack on a G5 military base in Western Niger, an army official confirmed on Sunday.Meanwhile, explosions rocked a truck and a UN camp in Mali. The attack in Mali hit a truck carrying dozens, leaving at least 31 people dead.In the northern city of Gao, two explosions rocked a UN camp early on Sunday. The AFP news agency reported that the blasts caused damage but no deaths.West African nations have struggled to contain extremist insurgencies in the region, with some groups pledging fealty to terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida or IS.According to staff at the Fianto base in the Tillabéri region, the unidentified armed attackers arrived by the “hundreds” on motorcycles, the official told DPA.No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but there are a number of armed groups active in Niger and other countries in the Sahel region.The Fianto base is used by the G5 Joint Force, which consists of the five Sahel countries of Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso. It was created in 2017 to establish order on their common border regions.The blasts shook the barracks of the UN mission in Mali. Those who were inside were forced to take refuge in nearby shelters for two hours.The French army reported only limited material damage.In Niger, which has a population of about 25 million, serious attacks occur often, especially in the border regions with Mali. The government has little control in the desert-like expanses outside of cities. This weakness is not only exploited by extremist groups, but also by criminal networks such as human traffickers In 2017 the G5 Joint Force was created to shore up the efforts of the group of five (G5) Sahel countries of Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso to establish order on their common border regions.The Sahel Alliance, launched by France, Germany and the European Union in 2017, offers support to this region, which stretches from Senegal in the west all the way to Djibouti in the east.