ALBAWABA - An entourage of 3 officials and a soldier were killed in an ambush by unknown gunmen who crossed the border from Nigeria the authorities announced on Sunday.
The four were reportedly on a visit to Diffa, where extremists from Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) have carried out a number of deadly attacks since 2015.
Situated on the banks of Lake Chad, which is surrounded by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, lies the Diffa region. Armed Islamist organizations have found refuge on its marshy islands.
Some reports said that the death toll is much higher, however, no official statement has been made. "On Wednesday, armed individuals from Nigeria attacked a vehicle, killing four people," the army said, without identifying the victims.
In the past, Diffa was shielded from cross-border raids by the Komadougou Yobe river, which serves as a natural boundary between Niger and Nigeria. Ambushers "particularly target top-brand all-terrain vehicles, which they resell in Nigeria," a former local official told AFP.
The army stated that this week's attack on the major route was made possible by ISWAP members attacking travelers due to the dropping water level, which provided "multiple crossing points from Nigeria".
Following the incident, the 70-kilometer section of road that connects Diffa town to the town of Maine Sorao is the most vulnerable to gun attacks. As a result, the regional authorities have placed an indefinite prohibition on cars, "particularly 4x4s," from traveling on this route without a military escort.
Other jihadist organizations associated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS are being fought by Niger's military forces in the western area of Tillaberi, close to the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tillaberi on Saturday, calling on the military junta ruling Niger to establish "rapid intervention units" and a "airbase" in addition to hiring "volunteers" from the community to assist stop attacks against them.
