August 2023 Anzourou attacks
| August 2023 Anzourou attacks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Islamist insurgency in Niger | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
 Islamic State – Sahel Province | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
12 killed (per Niger) 14 killed, 4 injured (per WAMaps) | Heavy | ||||||
On August 20, 2023, militants from the Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP) attacked the villages of Doukou Saraou, Doukou Makani, and Doukou Koirategui, in Anzourou commune, Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing at least 12 soldiers. The attack came two days after the Koutougou attack that left 17 soldiers dead.
Background
On July 26, 2023, disgruntled Nigerien officers led by Omar Tiani overthrew the democratically-elected government of Mohamed Bazoum, decrying him for not effectively combatting the jihadist insurgencies in the country by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and Boko Haram.[1] Analysts stated that the coup would allow jihadists to expand even more throughout the tri-border region between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.[2][3] One of the stated reasons for the coup was the multiple deadly attacks in recent weeks, including the massacre of twelve civilians near Anzourou by jihadists on July 22.[4][5]
Following the coup, the Nigerien Army called a portion of its forces back to Niamey, amplifying the threat along the Malian border. Five civilians were killed on August 3 by jihadists in Anzourou, twelve civilians were killed on August 4 near Wabila and Hondobon, five Nigerien national guardsmen were killed on August 9 in Bourkou Boundou, and six national guardsmen were killed on August 13 in Sanam.[6] On August 15, an ambush on Koutougou left 17 Nigerien soldiers dead and over 100 militants killed.[7]
Attack
The attacks took place in the villages of Doukou Saraou, Doukou Makani, and Doukou Koirategui, all southeast of Anzourou, on August 20.[8][9][10] Nigerien officials said that soldiers of the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) conducting an "anti-jihadist operation" were ambushed by jihadists, killing twelve of them.[10] The Nigerien government also said that high casualties were inflicted on the attackers.[7] West Africa Maps, a consortium of West African journalists, said that 14 FDS soldiers were killed in the ambush and four were injured.[9] WAMaps also said that the jihadists stole livestock, and the National Guard of Niger came to reinforce the FDS after the attack.[9] Four Nigerien vehicles were abandoned on the retreat to Bonfeba.[10]
Claim
On August 25, the Islamic State – Sahel Province claimed responsibility for several attacks in Niger and Mali. While Anzourou was not mentioned, an attack on August 13 and an attack on August 20 were both claimed.[11]
References
- ↑ Faucon, Benoit; Steinhauser, Gabriele (July 31, 2023). "Niger Coup Leaders Detain Ministers, Party Officials". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ↑ Madowo, Sarah Dean, Niamh Kennedy, Larry (2023-07-26). "Niger soldiers claim power after president's own guards reportedly seize him". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Mcallister, Edward (3 August 2023). "Niger coup leaders blamed insecurity; conflict data paints a different picture". Reuters. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ↑ AFP (2023-07-21). "Douze paysans nigériens tués dans leurs champs par des hommes armés". Voice of America (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "Niger : 12 civils tués dans une attaque près de la frontière malienne". Anadolu (in Turkish). Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "Niger: nouvelle attaque jihadiste depuis le coup d'État, dans l'ouest du pays". RFI (in French). 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- 1 2 "Suspected extremists kill 12 soldiers in Niger". Al Arabiya English. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "September Alerts and August Trends 2023". 2023-08-31. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- 1 2 3 "Niger: 08/20 ISGS militants attacked the villages of Doukou_Saraou, Doukou_Makani and Doukou_Koirategui southeast of Anzourou and stole details. The National Guard went there and fell into a terrorist ambush. 14 FDS fell and 4 injured.n Several militants neutralized.nThe FDS abandoned 4 vehicles on the road to Bonféba Anzourou". Sahel news on the map - Africa - sahel.liveuamap.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- 1 2 3 "Niger : douze soldats tués au cours d'une opération antidjihadiste". Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring August 2023". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2026-05-26.