Fishermen have been able to conduct their business without being concerned about the Islamist violence that has plagued the rest of the country for many years along the banks of the Niger River, on the border between Niger and Benin.
However, in the north-east of the nation in Malanville, armed men attacked a border checkpoint in September.
People in Gaya, a town that is quite near to the border, are becoming more uneasy. Gaya resident Mamane Sani Harouna claims: “We live in worry because the bad things that happen to your neighbor will probably harm you.
“We desire for the authorities to foresee before it occurs to us. The terrorists are on the border of both nations, so if we can handle the situation on the other side in Benin, it won’t spread to Niger. However, if Benin manages to solve the problem, the militants will retreat to Niger and cause us problems.
In October, jihadists executed six fisherman from Niger and Nigeria for refusing to leave the Lake Chad region, and both Boko Haram and its rival Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) now have strongholds in the region.
The Commissioner of the Gaya Department is Assimou Abarchi. The security challenge is present, but so far, thank God, we have peaceful nights, he claims.
The department of Gaya will be spared because “it is a threat, it is real, we take it into account, and we have stated this to the highest authorities of Niger.”
A 13-year Islamic insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people and forced two million more from their homes has engulfed neighboring Northeast Nigeria. The leaders of Niger and Benin are devoted to halting its spread.
Mohamed Bazoum, the president of Niger, stated in a statement: “Niger has a strategic alliance with Benin. It is a significant business partner, and since we are aware of these forces’ [jihadists’] activity and their intention to create openings on the opposing side, we are also expected to avoid such occurrences.”
The Islamist insurgency in the Sahel, which started in northern Mali ten years ago, has severely affected Niger, the world’s poorest nation according to the UN’s Human Development Index benchmark.
