Niger raids killed several soldiers, sources say

Raids on security bases in northern Niger killed several soldiers, security and local sources told AFP, and an armed group opposed to the country's ruling junta claimed responsibility.

A north Niger security source told AFP that the early Friday attacks targeted mixed security bases in Seguedine, an oasis settlement in Bilma department. The source said there were several deaths and damage.

A resident of the wider Bilma department told AFP that the raids caused deaths and that part of a military camp and several vehicles were set on fire by the assailants.

The Patriotic Movement for Liberty and Justice, known as the MPLJ, claimed the attacks on Saturday evening. In a Facebook post, the group said it had left "15 victims" among Niger's defence and security forces. AFP said it could not independently verify the death tolls.

The MPLJ said it targeted the National Guard camp and a mixed base housing police, the gendarmerie and the border post in Seguedine.

Niger's authorities, led by the military since a July 2023 coup, had not commented on the attacks by Sunday afternoon.

The MPLJ is demanding the return of Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president who has been detained since he was overthrown in the coup. The group has mounted sporadic attacks on a 2,000-kilometre pipeline carrying Nigerien crude to Benin. Niger's junta regards the MPLJ and its leader, Moussa Konai, as terrorists.