Niger Buckles Under Relentless Jihadist Fire

Africa|After Military Took Power, Terrorist Attacks Only Got Worse

Attacks that killed dozens of civilians and soldiers in Niger this month have put a spotlight on the military’s failure to restore security in the West African nation, nearly 18 months after staging a coup.

When the military seized power in July 2023, the generals claimed they were better suited to restore order to a country racked by the world’s deadliest jihadist insurgency. But Niger has since spiraled into further violence, with frequent attacks on military forces, the recent destruction of a village and the killing of more than 20 passengers on a bus.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on military forces. All three attacks took place in western Niger, where affiliates of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are active.

Militants affiliated with these groups have killed nearly twice as many civilians since the coup, compared with the 18 months that preceded it, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, or A.C.L.E.D., a nonprofit that tracks global conflict.

Since the coup, Niger’s rulers have expelled French military personnel and ordered U.S. armed forces to vacate a sprawling air base in the country’s north. They have turned toward Russia for military assistance, and remained close to Turkey, which has provided drones. The result appears to be a surge of civilian deaths.

“They don’t have a real strategy, except the use of sheer force,” said Rahmane Idrissa, a political scientist from Niger who teaches at Leiden University in the Netherlands.