On 9 January 2020, a large group of

Islamic State in the Greater Sahara The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) is a terrorist group adhering to the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. IS-GS was formed on 15 May 2015 as the result of a split within the militant group Al-Mourabitoun. The rift was a reaction to the ad ...

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...

s assaulted a Nigerien military base at Chinagodrar, in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesTillabéri Region Tillabéri (var. ''Tillabéry'') is one of the eight Regions of Niger; the capital of the Region is Tillabéri. Tillabéri Region was created in 1992, when Niamey Region was split, with Niamey and its immediate hinterland becoming a new ''capital ...

. They attacked an army post in Chinagodrar, in the west of the country, in Tillabéri Region, from the border with Mali, north of

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...

. At least 89 Nigerien soldiers were confirmed to have been killed in the attack with more casualties suspected, but yet to be confirmed. The

Nigerien government The government of Niger is the apparatus through which authority functions and is exercised: the governing apparatus of Nigerien state. The current system of governance, since the Constitution of 25 November 2010, is termed the Seventh Republic ...

said that 77 militants were killed. The Islamist

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...

in the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

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.

Nigerien President This is a list of heads of state of Niger since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of ten people have served as head of state of Niger. The current head of state of Niger is the President of the Re ...

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the President of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 t ...

fired General Ahmed Mohamed, the chief of the

Nigerien Army The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches (Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramilitary services branches ( National Gendarmerie of Niger and National Guard of Niger) and ...

, and replaced him with Major General Salifou Modi.

References

2020 mass shootings in Africa 2020 murders in Niger 21st-century mass murder in Africa Attacks on military installations in the 2020s Battles in 2020 January 2020 crimes in Africa Mass murder in Niger Massacres in 2020 Massacres in Africa Terrorist incidents in Niger in 2020 Tillabéri Region {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinagodrar, Battle of