Terror attack in Niger kills 2 Indian nationals: Here is what’s happening in the West African nation
In a shocking news, two Indian migrant workers were killed in the West African country of Niger last Tuesday, July 15. Ganesh Karmali, 39, was one of the workers from Jharkhand’s Bokaro district who was killed. The other man who was rediscovered was Krishnan from a southern Indian state.
Ranjit Singh has been identified as the abducted worker who belongs to Jammu and Kashmir. Hearing the news from the Indian Embassy in Niger, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, requested the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, to intervene in the matter to secure Ranjit’s safe return on July 20.
Singh was an Indian national working at a construction site, was kidnapped in the niger’s Dosso region. His family is pleading with the government to bring him back safely.
The UN Security Council press reported, in March, that Niger also witnessed a terrorist attack by the Islamic State in Greater Sahara in Kokorou. The incident resulted in the deaths of at least 44 civilians, and 13 were severely injured.
It was being observed that due to the small size of its defence force, ineffective coordination among security services, budget shortfall, and instability in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, and the Lake Chad Basin, Niger’s efforts to fight terrorism were hampered.
In Niger, foreigners are becoming targets of armed groups in Niger and the current incident has sparked another escalation of tension in India. It is also important to note that this is not the sole incident of killing and abducting foreigners in the nation.
The incident of an Austrian woman who lived as an aid worker for more than 20 years was kidnapped by an unidentified man, and she has not been found. Surprisingly, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Niger has been facing this for a long time from armed groups suspected jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization. In the past, Niger has battled jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
As per the report, June was one of the country’s deadliest months on record as IS-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 civilians in what marked a return to mass atrocities in rural areas.
Niger is currently governed by a military junta that seized control in 2023 after overthrowing the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Following the coup, the new regime expelled Western allies, including the United States, which had troops stationed in the country, and instead aligned itself with Russia for security and diplomatic support.
Since the government’s fall in July 2023, Niger’s security situation has deteriorated significantly. President Bazoum was placed under house arrest by the Presidential Guard, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared himself the new head of state—a move that drew widespread criticism from the international community.
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