Niger sacks army chief after 89 soldiers killed; Buhari commiserates with Nigeriens

Niger’s army chief Gen Ahmed Mohamed has been sacked, four days after militant Islamists killed 89 soldiers in an assault on a military base, inflicting the biggest loss on the military in a single day.
In Nigeria, 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.
Gen Mohamed’s dismissal, along with that of three other top officers, was announced by state radio following a meeting of the cabinet.
Gen Mohamed’s tenure of more than two years has been marked by a sharp increase in attacks by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.
He has been replaced by Maj Gen Salifou Modi.
Niger declared three days of mourning following Thursday’s killing of the 89 soldiers at Chinegodar camp in the western Tillaberi region.
Last month, 71 soldiers were killed in an attack on the Inates camp in the same region.
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.
Additional reports by BBC.com