Latest News

Niger withdraws its military force from Lake Chad

The Niger government announced in a broadcast on state TV that it has left an international force that fights armed Islamists in West Africa’s Lake Chad Region. It wants to improve security at home for its oil assets.

Since 2015, the Multinational Joint Task Force, which includes soldiers from Nigeria and Chad, as well as Cameroon and Cameroon, have been trying to quell the insurgency. However, progress has been hampered by poor coordination and division, which has allowed armed groups flourish throughout the sparsely-populated scrublands of the region.

MNJTF is yet to comment on Niger’s withdrawal and it's unclear how this will affect the future of the mission.

Lake Chad has been repeatedly targeted by militant groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa, which erupted as an insurgency in northeast Nigeria, in 2009. It has claimed the lives of tens and thousands of people.

The Chad threatened last year to withdraw from the MNJTF following an attack that killed 40 soldiers at a military base.

Since a military coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, in 2023, Niger has been increasingly isolated. In 2024, Niger withdrew along with Burkina Faso, Mali and other neighbouring countries where juntas have also seized power.

The Niger junta has promised to restore the security of the country. Its vast desert north, where migrants and traffickers cross, is a major crossing point for migrants.

The army is not in control of large areas of the country. Islamist militants have killed or severely injured at least 14 civilians in an attack against a mosque this month. The country's energy infrastructure has been attacked, including a pipeline connecting the Agadem oilfield with Benin's coastline. Boureima Balima, Edward McAllister and Helen Popper edited the article.

(source: Reuters)