Niger President Says Islamist Attackers Came from Libya
The attackers who staged deadly twin bombings at an army base and French-run uranium mine in northern Niger came from neighboring Libya, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said Saturday.
Pointing to the porous nature of the borders in the region, he warned that other "infiltrations" were possible and that Niger needed to examine what other security measures it needed to better defend its territory.
"The attackers, according to all the information we have received, came from Libya, from the south of Libya," Issoufou told television channel France 24.
"Libya continues to be a source of destabilization for the countries of the Sahel," the semi-arid band of territory that crosses Africa south of the Sahara desert, Issoufou said.
His comments came after a meeting with Luc Oursel, the chief executive of French nuclear giant Areva, the majority owner of the Somair mine targeted in Thursday's blasts.
The dawn attacks began with twin suicide bombings at the army base in Agadez, the main city in northern Niger, and the Somair mine some 250 kilometers (150 miles) to the north.
Attackers then seized a building at the Agadez base, ending in a raid by French special forces and local troops.
In all, the Agadez attack claimed 24 victims in addition to eight Islamists killed, according to Niger's Defense Minister Mahamadou Karidjo.
One employee was killed and 14 wounded in the Somair attack.
Issoufou said the conflict that led to the overthrow and killing of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was destabilizing the region.
"I had already warned from the beginning of the Libyan crisis... that it was necessary to avoid solutions after Gddhafi's defeat that would be even worse, and I had said that if the Libyan state turned into a Somalia or fell into the hands of fundamentalists, the solution would be worse," he said.
"Today the situation is very difficult, the Libyan authorities are doing their best to control it, but the fact is, Libya continues to be a source of destabilization for the countries of the Sahel," he said.
He noted that the Sahel is a "very open zone and difficult to control".
Therefore, "it is possible that in the future, there would be more infiltrations," warned the president.
"So we are going to learn lessons from what has happened at Agadez to see what additional measures would need to be taken to better defend our territory," he said.
Issoufou insisted however that "there have not been any failures in the security system".
"What we have to say is that no matter what measures we take, there will not be zero risk," he said.
The attacks were claimed by two Islamist groups, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and veteran jihadist leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar's Signatories in Blood group.
Both said the bombings were in retaliation for Niger's participation in a French-led military campaign against al-Qaida-linked groups in neighboring Mali.
Meanwhile, the United States has condemned the "vicious terrorist attacks" in northern Niger that left 33 people dead.
"These attacks targeted two of our key partners in the Sahel -- Niger and France," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement late Friday.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the vicious terrorist attacks," he added.
"We express our condolences to the Nigerien people and their government, who have stood steadfast in rejecting violent extremism," Ventrell said.
The U.S. commended both France and Niger "for their leadership within international efforts to combat terrorism and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to improving the security of the Sahel region and its people," Ventrell said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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