Boko Haram members attack Niger Republic military base

Boko Haram jihadists have attacked an army position in southeastern Niger, sources said on Sunday, following a lull in violence since the end of last year.

The attack Saturday in Niger’s Diffa region, which has been targeted since 2015 by the jihadist group, left an unknown number of soldiers injured.

“The military base of Chetima Wangou was attacked by heavily armed Boko Haram elements who came in vehicles,” a local journalist told AFP.

“There were injuries among our soldiers who were admitted to Diffa Hospital for emergency medical treatment,” the journalist added.

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“The attack took place but we do not have a toll,” a security source told AFP.

Chetima Wangou is a small village about 25 kilometres (15 miles) southwest of the regional capital Diffa. Since 2015, the group has targeted areas near Lake Chad, north of the city.

The attack was the latest ascribed to the jihadist group which began a bloody insurgency in neighbouring Nigeria in 2009 that has spread to nearby countries, prompting a regional military response.

In February 2019, seven Niger soldiers were killed during an attack on the same position.

The jihadist insurgency has killed some 27,000 people and displaced two million, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.