Buhari commiserates with Niger Republic on killing of soldiers

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday evening spoke to Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou on the telephone to commiserate with him, the government and people of Niger Republic, over the terrorist attack of January 9, 2020, in Chinagodrar, which killed scores of soldiers in a military base.

President Buhari expressed deep sympathy and condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.

Condemning the heinous attack by the terrorists, the Nigerian leader assured his Nigerien counterpart that Nigeria will continue to work closely with his country and other international partners to overcome terrorism and violent extremism.

The President reaffirmed that the perpetrators of such cowardly acts and their sponsors deserve no peace and comfort, stressing that Nigeria stands in solidarity with her allies to ensure that justice is served.

Meanwhile, the Nigerien President has sacked the country’s army chief, Ahmed Mohamed, over the incident, in which at least 160 soldiers were killed.

Mohamed led the army for over two years, a period marked by a steep rise in attacks by militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.

This had culminated in a daytime raid on a remote army base last Thursday that killed at least 89 soldiers.

That attack came less than a month after another on an outpost that killed 71 soldiers and raised questions about Niger’s ability to contain the spread of militant groups across its western border from Mali and Burkina Faso.