Ibrahim Doundou Chefou is a
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
ien militant and a key commander in the
Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
Background
Chefou is believed to have led
the ambush of a convoy of U.S. and Nigerien troops in October 2017, that left four American and five Nigerien soldiers dead. Formerly a
Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...
herder in the Niger-Mali border region, he initially took up arms to battle
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
cattle thieves.
According to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', U.S. troops were attempting to locate Chefou in October 2017 when at least fifty militants, allegedly under his leadership, attacked them near the village of
Tongo Tongo
Tongo Tongo () is a village in the rural commune (municipality) of Tondikiwindi (also ''Tondi Kiwindi''), Ouallam Department, Tillabéri Region in southwestern Niger, 174 km north of the nation's capital Niamey and 28 km south of the ...
in southwestern Niger.
Chefou is considered by African officials to be one of the main propagators of unrest in the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
region. Niger's defense minister labeled him a "terrorist" and a "bandit".
See also
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Tongo Tongo ambush
The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien and US soldiers outside the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returnin ...
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Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
An Islamist insurgency is taking place in the Maghreb region of North Africa, followed on from the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002. The Algerian militant group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied itself with al-Qaeda ...
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Islam in Niger
Islam in Niger accounts for the vast majority of the Religion in Niger, nation's religious adherents. The faith is practiced by more than 99.3% of the population, although this figure varies by source and percentage of the population who are cla ...
*
Fulani herdsmen Fulani herdsmen or Fulani pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic Fulani people whose primary occupation is raising livestock. The Fulani herder, herdsmen are largely located in the Sahel and Semi-arid climate, semi-arid parts of West Africa, but d ...
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Niger Armed Forces
The Niger Armed Forces (, 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 the National Police of Niger. The ...
References
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members
Fula people
Living people
Nigerien Islamists
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{Niger-bio-stub