Battle of Chinagodrar
Part of Insurgency in the Maghreb
Date9 January 2020
Location
Chinagodrar, Filingue Department, Tillabéri Region, Niger
Result IS-GS victory[citation needed]
Belligerents
 Niger Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
Casualties and losses
89+ killed, 6 injured 5 killed (ISIS claim)
77 killed[1]

On 9 January 2020, a large group of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militants assaulted a Nigerien military base at Chinagodrar, in Niger's Tillabéri Region.[2][3] They attacked an army post in Chinagodrar, in the west of the country, in Tillabéri Region, 13 kilometres (8 miles) from the border with Mali, 210 kilometres (130 miles) north of Niamey.[2][3] At least 89 Nigerien soldiers were confirmed to have been killed in the attack with more casualties suspected, but yet to be confirmed.[4] The Nigerien government said that 77 militants were killed.[2][3]

The Islamist insurgency in the Sahel intensified in the late 2010s. This attack followed those in Niger on 10 and 25 December 2019.

Aftermath

The Nigerien government declared three days of national mourning after the battle.[5] Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou fired General Ahmed Mohamed, the chief of the Nigerien Army, and replaced him with Major General Salifou Modi.[6]

References

  1. ^ AFP (13 January 2020). "Niger government revises toll of jihadist attack to 89". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Niger says 25 soldiers killed in latest attack blamed on jihadist militants". France 24. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c The Associated Press (9 January 2020). "In Niger, 25 soldiers killed in suspected militant attack". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Niger Army Base Attack Death Toll Rises To at Least 89: Security Sources". The New York Times. Reuters. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. ^ Adebayo, Bukola (13 January 2020). "Niger declares three days of mourning after 89 soldiers killed in attack on military base". Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. ^ Aksar, Moussa; Balima, Boureima; Pujol-Mazzini, Anna (13 January 2020). McAllister, Edward; Elgood, Giles (eds.). "Niger sacks army chief after deadliest attacks in years". Reuters. The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Retrieved 5 February 2020.

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