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On the 13th of March the MNJ claims to have released all their prisoners of war except one officer, who has "commited many crimes aginist civilians"
-Here are excerpts from their web site.
-Shimron
"...Since its birth, NJ has never closed the door to a negotiated solution to resolve the conflict that opposes the power of Niamey. The authorities in Niamey should be ready with honest dialogue. They must leave their position which is to continue to freeze asking NJ to 'uncoonditionally drop their arms and return to submit to the will of the regime' .n
We announced on 06/03/09 that we will release our prisoners of war with the exception of one officer, responsible for serious crimes against the innocent civilians.
To Show good will and openness to dialogue. the 06 remaining prisoners [Wer released] in the night of 12 to 13/03/09 at Niamey. [Niger]. We wish them good reunion with their families.
- The Movement.
Showing posts with label Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
UN Envoy to Niger Robert Fowler Kidnapped
19 December, 2008
- The UN Reports that Robert Fowler has disappeared. ( See the AFP Article below)
- the Restoration Forces Front (FFR) claimed responsibility on their website, but later denied it to a reporter
- The MNJ has a post on their Website, in French, caliming to be very concerned about the disappearance, saying Robert Fowler is a peace maker for whom they have "high esteem".
- They infer the government had something to do with the disappearance, but that is the MNJ's usual response, and have incorrectly blamed the government in the past.
- They also suggest that Louis Gay, another UN diplomat may been with Robert Fowler when he disappeared.
This visit to a Canadian owned Goldmine West of Naimey (Fowler is a Canadian citizen) was apparently not on his itinerary. It may be that they were simply mistaken as less important foreigners, and kidnapped at the initiative of a low level commander, and the leadership may be unaware of who has them.
Let us see how this unfolds.
-Shimron
NIAMEY (AFP) — The United Nations said Friday that Robert Fowler, its special envoy to Niger whose disappearance west of the capital Niamey was announced Monday, was on an official visit.
"Mr Fowler came here as part of an official UN visit but we were not aware of his trip out of town to the Samira gold mine," said Modibo Traore, head of the local office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
"Mr Fowler is the UN secretary general's special representative for Niger and in that capacity he is responsible for humanitarian problems and for finding a solution to the (Tuareg) rebellion," he added.
Last Friday, the day after his arrival in Niamey, Fowler meet with Interior Minister Albade Abouba and Justice Minister Dagra Mamadou, Traore added.
Traore's statement echoed that of the spokeswoman of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who appointed Fowler -- a former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations -- last July.
"I can confirm to you that Mr Fowler, as special envoy for Niger, was on an official mission," said the spokeswoman, Marie Okabe, on Thursday at a daily press briefing at UN headquarters in New York.
She refused to say more about his disappearance or his appointment, which Ban had made without an announcement.
In revealing the disappearance and feared kidnapping of Fowler, 64, and another Canadian diplomat, Louis Guay, Niger's Communications Minister Mohamed ben Omar stated Tuesday the UN envoy was not in Niger on official business.
Officially Niamey has never called on the UN to mediate with Tuareg rebels, whom it normally dismisses as "bandits" and "drug traffickers".
The Tuareg, who live in the remote northern deserts of Niger, say they are fighting for autonomy and a slice of the uranium wealth that lies beneath the sands of their region.
Ben Omar said Fowler had requested an invitation to attend Niger's 50th anniversary celebrations that held Thursday in Tillaberi, west of Niamey.
Just before his disappearance Fowler visited Samira, a gold mine west of Niamey majority owned by two Canadian companies: Etruscan Resources and Semafo Inc.
"Yes, they came here," the Canadian in charge of the mine told AFP Friday by phone from the site.
Semafo had initially said it was unable to confirm whether Fowler and Guay had visited the mine because there no record of any official request to visit was logged at the company's Saint-Laurent, Quebec headquarters.
On Tuesday, the Restoration Forces Front (FFR), a Niger Tuareg rebel group, claimed on its website that it had kidnapped the Canadians. But a few hours later, its leader denied to AFP that his group was responsible.
Fowler and Guay, plus their driver, disappeared Sunday around 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the capital Niamey around Tillaberi, the very region where Niger celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence Thursday.
Their vehicle was found the following morning at the side of the road, facing towards Niamey, with the engine and an indicator running and the doors wide open, a gendarme told AFP.
Ben Omar said exceptional security measures were in place along the Niamey-Tillaberi road, in view of the anniversary celebrations.
He also said the car had been found near the jetty for the ferry across the Niger river, a claim denied by witnesses with businesses at the jetty.
Fowler and Guay took the ferry to go to Samira. Their vehicle was seen driving back off it late Sunday afternoon and they headed back towards Niamey.
Ben Omar said Fowler's official UN vehicle was followed by a car with Togolese numberplates when it left Niamey.
This second car has not been found and its significance to the incident has never been explained.
The Rest @ AFP Africa
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Niger and Mali Rebels Coordinate Attacks
More evidence that al Aqeda is involved.
-Shimron
BAMAKO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Suspected Tuareg gunmen seized a military supply convoy in northern Mali taking 23 soldiers hostage, the latest sign of a concerted campaign with Tuareg rebels in neighbouring Niger, military sources said on Tuesday.
In the second attack in two days, a group of heavily armed men in Toyota pick-ups ambushed the convoy on Monday some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Tinsawatene in Mali's desolate northern reaches near the border with Algeria.
After a gunbattle lasting several hours, the attackers captured a Toyota pick up, a lorry containing supplies, and large quantities of munitions. Six soldiers were able to escape.
"We're in shock. It was a heavy toll," said a senior Defence Ministry source. "Now it's a man hunt. We will spare no effort to find these men."
Military sources said several attackers were killed in the gunfight. It came a day after suspected Tuareg rebels captured 15 Malian soldiers in a remote Saharan town and carried them off toward Niger, where nomadic tribesmen are waging a seven-month old uprising.
The mountainous area where Sunday's abductions took place is regarded as a stronghold of Tuareg leader Ibrahima Bahanga, whom Malian authorities accuse of killing a gendarme in an attack in May backed by rebels from the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ).
"We are obliged to work closely with Niger because we believe there are links between the two groups," said the senior defence source.
"When they launch attacks in Niger they seek refuge in Mali, and when they attack in Mali they hide in Niger."
"There are contacts under way between military authorities in Mali and Niger to secure the area," the source added.
REGIONAL EFFORTS
Last week, Mali and Niger's security ministers met in the eastern Malian town of Gao and signed a deal allowing each others' security forces to pursue suspected bandits across their common border.
Bahanga, one of the leaders of a Tuareg revolt in the 1990s which won greater autonomy for the light-skinned tribesmen in Mali and Niger, has been disowned by a broader Malian rebel alliance, which signed a deal with President Amadou Toumani Toure in July 2006.
Toure, during a weekend visit to Tripoli, said he had agreed with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to hold a regional summit on security in the Sahel.
Niger President Mamadou Tandja has also appealed for regional support in quelling the uprising, which his government has accused French nuclear power company Areva and "rich foreign powers" of supporting.
The company has strongly denied this.
Niger's government said on Tuesday it had demined and reopened the road between the northern uranium mining hub of Arlit and the oasis town of Iferouane, which lies more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital Niamey and has been isolated for more than two months.
A military convoy was able to deliver 60 tonnes of emergency food aid to the settlement, which lies in the heart of the rebel zone and was the scene of its first attack in February.
(Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi in Niamey)
The Rest @ Reuters
-Shimron
BAMAKO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Suspected Tuareg gunmen seized a military supply convoy in northern Mali taking 23 soldiers hostage, the latest sign of a concerted campaign with Tuareg rebels in neighbouring Niger, military sources said on Tuesday.
In the second attack in two days, a group of heavily armed men in Toyota pick-ups ambushed the convoy on Monday some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Tinsawatene in Mali's desolate northern reaches near the border with Algeria.
After a gunbattle lasting several hours, the attackers captured a Toyota pick up, a lorry containing supplies, and large quantities of munitions. Six soldiers were able to escape.
"We're in shock. It was a heavy toll," said a senior Defence Ministry source. "Now it's a man hunt. We will spare no effort to find these men."
Military sources said several attackers were killed in the gunfight. It came a day after suspected Tuareg rebels captured 15 Malian soldiers in a remote Saharan town and carried them off toward Niger, where nomadic tribesmen are waging a seven-month old uprising.
The mountainous area where Sunday's abductions took place is regarded as a stronghold of Tuareg leader Ibrahima Bahanga, whom Malian authorities accuse of killing a gendarme in an attack in May backed by rebels from the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ).
"We are obliged to work closely with Niger because we believe there are links between the two groups," said the senior defence source.
"When they launch attacks in Niger they seek refuge in Mali, and when they attack in Mali they hide in Niger."
"There are contacts under way between military authorities in Mali and Niger to secure the area," the source added.
REGIONAL EFFORTS
Last week, Mali and Niger's security ministers met in the eastern Malian town of Gao and signed a deal allowing each others' security forces to pursue suspected bandits across their common border.
Bahanga, one of the leaders of a Tuareg revolt in the 1990s which won greater autonomy for the light-skinned tribesmen in Mali and Niger, has been disowned by a broader Malian rebel alliance, which signed a deal with President Amadou Toumani Toure in July 2006.
Toure, during a weekend visit to Tripoli, said he had agreed with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to hold a regional summit on security in the Sahel.
Niger President Mamadou Tandja has also appealed for regional support in quelling the uprising, which his government has accused French nuclear power company Areva and "rich foreign powers" of supporting.
The company has strongly denied this.
Niger's government said on Tuesday it had demined and reopened the road between the northern uranium mining hub of Arlit and the oasis town of Iferouane, which lies more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital Niamey and has been isolated for more than two months.
A military convoy was able to deliver 60 tonnes of emergency food aid to the settlement, which lies in the heart of the rebel zone and was the scene of its first attack in February.
(Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi in Niamey)
The Rest @ Reuters
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) ads English Language Blog
As of First January, 2008 a new blog appeared, called Tuareg Culture News. It made a broad announcement about the progress made by the Niger Movement for Justice. the Blog touches suggest that it may be written by the same individual or team that writes the Fench Language M-N-J Blog.
Cross linking suggests that they are trying to promote the old site as well.
They reported an attack on 16-03-08
-Shimron
Tuareg-led MNJ rebels attacked the military post at Banaibangou, just 125 miles north of Niger's capital, Niamey. The attack began at 7 PM March 16, resulting in the death of 3 Niger army soldiers;
Cross linking suggests that they are trying to promote the old site as well.
They reported an attack on 16-03-08
-Shimron
Tuareg-led MNJ rebels attacked the military post at Banaibangou, just 125 miles north of Niger's capital, Niamey. The attack began at 7 PM March 16, resulting in the death of 3 Niger army soldiers;
- MNJ took a policeman hostage, along with 2 vehicles and all of the weapons at Banibangou.
- MNJ stayed several hours after the attack in conversations with the local people who thanked them, according to MNJ.
- AFP, relaying the government's official stance, said that those killed were a soldier and a policeman, and that another policeman was "missing"
- The Niger government also claimed that several rebels were either injured or killed, and that they fled.
Monday, February 11, 2008
M-N-J (MNJ) Promises to Step up attacks in Niger
The following article was posted in France by a media outlet that has been accused byt the Niger government of having direct connections to the NMJ leadership. Possible conclusion from the article and other related traffic:
Paris - Niger's Tuareg rebels will attack uranium mines and convoys in a new phase of their battle against the industry, a leading figure in the rebellion warned in an interview published on Thursday.
The Tuareg Movement of Nigeriens for Justice (MNJ) can mobilise up to 1 000 fighters under military chief Aghali Alambo, the leader of the rebellion Rhissa Ag Boula told French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those of (French nuclear giant) Areva, to stop factories functioning, prevent the exploitation of new quarries, and seize the cargo that is en route to the sea," he said.
"You can't exploit uranium without us," he warned.
Poor and restive Niger finds itself sitting on a surprising treasure trove of uranium. The west African state on the edge of the Sahara is the world's third largest producer of an element whose price has soared.
Areva is Niger's top private employer and has operated two uranium mines in the country for the past 40 years.
The stakes are particularly high for former colonial power France: three-quarters of the nuclear-powered electricity produced by its main electricity company EDF uses uranium imported from Niger.
In April last year, MNJ rebels attacked Areva's biggest uranium project in Niger, demanding better application of the economic aspects of the 1995 peace agreements that ended the first Tuareg rebellion.
The MNJ says peace will not return to the north of Niger without better integration of Tuaregs into the army, paramilitary corps and the local mining sector. Since February 2007 it has carried out attacks on military targets in the area.
Rhissa Ag Boula said this new phase of the Tuareg rebellion would soon see the rebels occupy a dozen urban centres in the uranium-rich north, such as Agadez, Arlit, Iferouane, and In Gall.
"There will be legislative and presidential elections in 2009. This will all happen before then," he said.
President Mamadou Tandja, who refuses to negotiate with the MNJ, in November extended by three months a state of emergency that has reinforced the army's powers in the conflict zone.
The Tuaregs are a grouping of nomadic tribes who have roamed the Sahara since centuries before the countries of the region gained independence from colonial powers.
The Rest @ News 24
- The MNJ has been a nationalist rebel group, generally without Islamist objectives
- Islamist Jihadists often practice a perceived quranic and Hadith requirement to warn their enemies to repent before they attack.
- In the last year before other attacks, MNJ has initatied this practice
- This warning was released 12 days ago
- therefore attaks on Areva and other Uranium interests in Niger may be iminent
Paris - Niger's Tuareg rebels will attack uranium mines and convoys in a new phase of their battle against the industry, a leading figure in the rebellion warned in an interview published on Thursday.
The Tuareg Movement of Nigeriens for Justice (MNJ) can mobilise up to 1 000 fighters under military chief Aghali Alambo, the leader of the rebellion Rhissa Ag Boula told French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those of (French nuclear giant) Areva, to stop factories functioning, prevent the exploitation of new quarries, and seize the cargo that is en route to the sea," he said.
"You can't exploit uranium without us," he warned.
Poor and restive Niger finds itself sitting on a surprising treasure trove of uranium. The west African state on the edge of the Sahara is the world's third largest producer of an element whose price has soared.
Areva is Niger's top private employer and has operated two uranium mines in the country for the past 40 years.
The stakes are particularly high for former colonial power France: three-quarters of the nuclear-powered electricity produced by its main electricity company EDF uses uranium imported from Niger.
In April last year, MNJ rebels attacked Areva's biggest uranium project in Niger, demanding better application of the economic aspects of the 1995 peace agreements that ended the first Tuareg rebellion.
The MNJ says peace will not return to the north of Niger without better integration of Tuaregs into the army, paramilitary corps and the local mining sector. Since February 2007 it has carried out attacks on military targets in the area.
Rhissa Ag Boula said this new phase of the Tuareg rebellion would soon see the rebels occupy a dozen urban centres in the uranium-rich north, such as Agadez, Arlit, Iferouane, and In Gall.
"There will be legislative and presidential elections in 2009. This will all happen before then," he said.
President Mamadou Tandja, who refuses to negotiate with the MNJ, in November extended by three months a state of emergency that has reinforced the army's powers in the conflict zone.
The Tuaregs are a grouping of nomadic tribes who have roamed the Sahara since centuries before the countries of the region gained independence from colonial powers.
The Rest @ News 24
Thursday, January 31, 2008
MNJ Threaten's to escalate attacks on Uranium Mines
NIAMEY, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A leader of Niger's Tuareg rebels promised on Thursday an all-out offensive against the uranium industry including attacks on foreign-run mines and mineral convoys.
Over the last 12 months, the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) has attacked army convoys and bases, killing around 50 soldiers. This has forced Niger's government to impose a state of alert in the north of the Sahelian country, a major producer of uranium which is used to fuel nuclear reactors.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those belonging to Areva, halt the operation of the plants or the opening up of new sites, and target the road shipments to the sea," Tuareg leader Rhissa Ag Boula told French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur.
Last year MNJ fighters attacked a northern mine site operated by French nuclear group Areva and also briefly abducted a Chinese uranium executive.
The rebels are demanding more autonomy and a greater share of wealth in their uranium-rich northern region.
A Niger government spokesman rejected the threat in comments to Radio France International. President Mamadou Tandja's administration refuses to recognise the light-skinned nomadic desert rebels, dismissing them as "armed bandits".
Ag Boula criticised the Niger government for "handing out uranium concessions like buns" to companies from France, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and China.
China had obtained a major part of the new concessions and the Chinese "build mining cities, bringing their own workers with them".
China was selling landmines, vehicles and tanks to the Niger government, Ag Boula said in the interview.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Over the last 12 months, the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) has attacked army convoys and bases, killing around 50 soldiers. This has forced Niger's government to impose a state of alert in the north of the Sahelian country, a major producer of uranium which is used to fuel nuclear reactors.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those belonging to Areva, halt the operation of the plants or the opening up of new sites, and target the road shipments to the sea," Tuareg leader Rhissa Ag Boula told French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur.
Last year MNJ fighters attacked a northern mine site operated by French nuclear group Areva and also briefly abducted a Chinese uranium executive.
The rebels are demanding more autonomy and a greater share of wealth in their uranium-rich northern region.
A Niger government spokesman rejected the threat in comments to Radio France International. President Mamadou Tandja's administration refuses to recognise the light-skinned nomadic desert rebels, dismissing them as "armed bandits".
Ag Boula criticised the Niger government for "handing out uranium concessions like buns" to companies from France, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and China.
China had obtained a major part of the new concessions and the Chinese "build mining cities, bringing their own workers with them".
China was selling landmines, vehicles and tanks to the Niger government, Ag Boula said in the interview.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
MNJ Threaten's to escalate attacks on Uranium Mines
NIAMEY, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A leader of Niger's Tuareg rebels promised on Thursday an all-out offensive against the uranium industry including attacks on foreign-run mines and mineral convoys.
Over the last 12 months, the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) has attacked army convoys and bases, killing around 50 soldiers. This has forced Niger's government to impose a state of alert in the north of the Sahelian country, a major producer of uranium which is used to fuel nuclear reactors.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those belonging to Areva, halt the operation of the plants or the opening up of new sites, and target the road shipments to the sea," Tuareg leader Rhissa Ag Boula told French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur.
Last year MNJ fighters attacked a northern mine site operated by French nuclear group Areva and also briefly abducted a Chinese uranium executive.
The rebels are demanding more autonomy and a greater share of wealth in their uranium-rich northern region.
A Niger government spokesman rejected the threat in comments to Radio France International. President Mamadou Tandja's administration refuses to recognise the light-skinned nomadic desert rebels, dismissing them as "armed bandits".
Ag Boula criticised the Niger government for "handing out uranium concessions like buns" to companies from France, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and China.
China had obtained a major part of the new concessions and the Chinese "build mining cities, bringing their own workers with them".
China was selling landmines, vehicles and tanks to the Niger government, Ag Boula said in the interview.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Over the last 12 months, the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) has attacked army convoys and bases, killing around 50 soldiers. This has forced Niger's government to impose a state of alert in the north of the Sahelian country, a major producer of uranium which is used to fuel nuclear reactors.
"We are going to attack the uranium mines, including those belonging to Areva, halt the operation of the plants or the opening up of new sites, and target the road shipments to the sea," Tuareg leader Rhissa Ag Boula told French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur.
Last year MNJ fighters attacked a northern mine site operated by French nuclear group Areva and also briefly abducted a Chinese uranium executive.
The rebels are demanding more autonomy and a greater share of wealth in their uranium-rich northern region.
A Niger government spokesman rejected the threat in comments to Radio France International. President Mamadou Tandja's administration refuses to recognise the light-skinned nomadic desert rebels, dismissing them as "armed bandits".
Ag Boula criticised the Niger government for "handing out uranium concessions like buns" to companies from France, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and China.
China had obtained a major part of the new concessions and the Chinese "build mining cities, bringing their own workers with them".
China was selling landmines, vehicles and tanks to the Niger government, Ag Boula said in the interview.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
NIAMEY, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Suspected Tuareg rebels in Niger abducted a local prefect and a senior security official in a raid on the town of Tanout, government military officers said on Tuesday.
The government sources said the attack, in the town 950 km (590 miles) northeast of the capital Niamey, late on Monday caused deaths and injuries in both the government and rebel ranks, but they gave no more details.
The Tuareg-led rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ), which launched an armed revolt in the uranium-rich north a year ago, said its fighters seized the town, killing seven soldiers and police and taking 11 prisoners, including the prefect.
No independent confirmation was immediately available.
The MNJ said on its Web site http://m-n-j.blogspot.com/ the attack was a retaliation against the Tanout prefect whom it accused of ordering local officials to report residents suspected of supporting the rebels.
Tanout lies on the southern edge of Niger's northern Agadez region, a vast area of desert and rugged mountains which contains rich uranium reserves and mines which are the mainstay of the landlocked country's economy.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa.com
The government sources said the attack, in the town 950 km (590 miles) northeast of the capital Niamey, late on Monday caused deaths and injuries in both the government and rebel ranks, but they gave no more details.
The Tuareg-led rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ), which launched an armed revolt in the uranium-rich north a year ago, said its fighters seized the town, killing seven soldiers and police and taking 11 prisoners, including the prefect.
No independent confirmation was immediately available.
The MNJ said on its Web site http://m-n-j.blogspot.com/ the attack was a retaliation against the Tanout prefect whom it accused of ordering local officials to report residents suspected of supporting the rebels.
Tanout lies on the southern edge of Niger's northern Agadez region, a vast area of desert and rugged mountains which contains rich uranium reserves and mines which are the mainstay of the landlocked country's economy.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa.com
Friday, January 11, 2008
MNJ Denounces the Mines in the streets of Naimey
Statements off the MNJ website in the last couple of days are:
- The Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) strongly denounced what they call the "assassination" by "the regime" of the Director of Radio RM Niamey, Abdou Mahamane, as a result of a mine in the streets of Naimey
They call it a "heinous crime" and accuse the Government of:
- Creating a threatening place for Journalists, which MNJ claims to condemn
- Trying to buy Helicopters from China and Russia to fight them in the desert
- Making MNJ's war against the fighters of the regime" an international war by using mines and blaming MNJ.
There is more, but it is mostly rhetoric, name calling, and a promise to keep fighting the regime.
This is an old, local war. Will they succumb to the needed resources al Qaeda promises if they join the jihad? We will see.
-Shimron
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) Brings the War to the Captial
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's government on Wednesday accused Tuareg-led rebels of laying landmines in the capital Niamey which killed a local radio director, the first such attack in the city since the uprising began almost a year ago.
The security forces defused a second device early on Wednesday, hours after private radio director Abdou Mahaman Jeannot was killed when his Toyota car drove over a mine in a residential suburb on the western edge of the city.
The government blamed Tuareg rebels who launched an uprising last February to demand greater autonomy for their homelands in the barren, uranium-rich north. The insurgents have mainly targeted army patrols and remote garrisons in the Sahara.
"This attack can only be the work of armed bandits in the north who are trying to establish a campaign of urban terrorism because they are incapable of fighting a conventional war in the region where they launched it," Communication Minister Mohamed Ben Omar said in a communique broadcast on state radio.
The rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has killed at least 49 soldiers since launching its revolt last year, vehemently denied responsibility for laying the mines, instead accusing the authorities of trying to tarnish its image.
"This regime which has lost any sense of direction is laying mines everywhere it needs to in order to accuse the fighters for justice, who condemn the use of mines particularly against citizens," the MNJ said on its Web site.
Ben Omar called on the population to set up "vigilance brigades" to fight against "these new types of assassins".
The mines were placed next to a cemetery on the western edge of Niamey. The second device was defused some 200 metres (656 ft) from the charred wreckage of the Toyota car in which Jeannot died shortly before midnight (2300 GMT) on Tuesday.
A woman who was also travelling in the car was seriously injured and taken to hospital but discharged herself after receiving treatment for shrapnel wounds, witnesses said.
Niger's government said in November the Tuareg-led rebels were planning to widen their campaign from attacks in the desert to include "acts of urban terrorism".
The government accused the group of widening its offensive to towns and cities in December, when two civilians were killed by landmines -- one in the central town of Tahoua, another in Maradi, some 550 km (340 miles) east of Niamey.
The MNJ denied responsibility for those attacks, blaming them on "Niger army militias" they said were aiming to discredit the insurgency and justify a security crackdown.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Civilian deaths during the rebellion have fuelled anger agalinst the Tuaregs and other nomadic northerners among non-Tuareg sectors of Niger's racially mixed population
The security forces defused a second device early on Wednesday, hours after private radio director Abdou Mahaman Jeannot was killed when his Toyota car drove over a mine in a residential suburb on the western edge of the city.
The government blamed Tuareg rebels who launched an uprising last February to demand greater autonomy for their homelands in the barren, uranium-rich north. The insurgents have mainly targeted army patrols and remote garrisons in the Sahara.
"This attack can only be the work of armed bandits in the north who are trying to establish a campaign of urban terrorism because they are incapable of fighting a conventional war in the region where they launched it," Communication Minister Mohamed Ben Omar said in a communique broadcast on state radio.
The rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has killed at least 49 soldiers since launching its revolt last year, vehemently denied responsibility for laying the mines, instead accusing the authorities of trying to tarnish its image.
"This regime which has lost any sense of direction is laying mines everywhere it needs to in order to accuse the fighters for justice, who condemn the use of mines particularly against citizens," the MNJ said on its Web site.
Ben Omar called on the population to set up "vigilance brigades" to fight against "these new types of assassins".
The mines were placed next to a cemetery on the western edge of Niamey. The second device was defused some 200 metres (656 ft) from the charred wreckage of the Toyota car in which Jeannot died shortly before midnight (2300 GMT) on Tuesday.
A woman who was also travelling in the car was seriously injured and taken to hospital but discharged herself after receiving treatment for shrapnel wounds, witnesses said.
Niger's government said in November the Tuareg-led rebels were planning to widen their campaign from attacks in the desert to include "acts of urban terrorism".
The government accused the group of widening its offensive to towns and cities in December, when two civilians were killed by landmines -- one in the central town of Tahoua, another in Maradi, some 550 km (340 miles) east of Niamey.
The MNJ denied responsibility for those attacks, blaming them on "Niger army militias" they said were aiming to discredit the insurgency and justify a security crackdown.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Civilian deaths during the rebellion have fuelled anger agalinst the Tuaregs and other nomadic northerners among non-Tuareg sectors of Niger's racially mixed population
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) Claims Ambush Near d'Iferouane, Niger
The MNJ. on their websit,e claims to have intercepted a detachment of 14 military reconnisance vehicles in 7 km to the west of d'Iferouane, Niger.
They claim to have destroyed 4 vehicles destroyed with their occupants.
-Shimron
They claim to have destroyed 4 vehicles destroyed with their occupants.
-Shimron
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) Ambushes Niger Amry Convoy
NIAMEY, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Niger's government said on Saturday four soldiers were missing and three injured after Tuareg-led rebels attacked a civilian convoy with a military escort in the north.
The rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) said it had killed 15 soldiers and taken four prisoners, including an army lieutenant, in the attack on Friday on the road from the regional capital Agadez to the town of Arlit, towards the border with Algeria.
The MNJ frequently exaggerates the death tolls from its attacks.
The rebels demand greater autonomy and government revenues for the uranium-producing north of Niger. They said in a statement on their Web site (m-n-j.blogspot.com) that anyone travelling by road to or from Agadez did so at their own risk.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
The rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) said it had killed 15 soldiers and taken four prisoners, including an army lieutenant, in the attack on Friday on the road from the regional capital Agadez to the town of Arlit, towards the border with Algeria.
The MNJ frequently exaggerates the death tolls from its attacks.
The rebels demand greater autonomy and government revenues for the uranium-producing north of Niger. They said in a statement on their Web site (m-n-j.blogspot.com) that anyone travelling by road to or from Agadez did so at their own risk.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Saturday, October 27, 2007
MNJ Aledges 12 Niger Soldiers Killed
Niger rebels say they kill 12 soldiers in ambush
Sat 27 Oct 2007, 17:37 GMT
NIAMEY, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Niger's Tuareg-led rebels said on Saturday they had killed at least 12 soldiers and destroyed two army vehicles in the desert north of the central African country, but the military denied this.
The Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has already killed more than 45 soldiers during an eight-month uprising, said on its Web site it carried out the ambush at dawn on Thursday near Touara, in the region of Agadez.
The MNJ has not staged any attacks since the start of the Muslim fast of Ramadan last month, during which it had declared a truce.
The deputy head of Niger's army, Colonel Garba Maikido, told national radio that only a few soldiers had been lightly injured after a vehicle ran over a mine near the Algerian border.
Maikido was speaking at the presentation of a seizure of 1.1 tonnes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated 7 billion CFA francs ($15.33 million), captured by an army patrol in the northern region of Air.
Soldiers also seized arms, munitions and aircraft fuel.
President Mamadou Tandja's government has refused to recognise the MNJ, blaming the violence in northern Niger on bandits and smugglers of arms and drugs.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Sat 27 Oct 2007, 17:37 GMT
NIAMEY, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Niger's Tuareg-led rebels said on Saturday they had killed at least 12 soldiers and destroyed two army vehicles in the desert north of the central African country, but the military denied this.
The Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has already killed more than 45 soldiers during an eight-month uprising, said on its Web site it carried out the ambush at dawn on Thursday near Touara, in the region of Agadez.
The MNJ has not staged any attacks since the start of the Muslim fast of Ramadan last month, during which it had declared a truce.
The deputy head of Niger's army, Colonel Garba Maikido, told national radio that only a few soldiers had been lightly injured after a vehicle ran over a mine near the Algerian border.
Maikido was speaking at the presentation of a seizure of 1.1 tonnes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated 7 billion CFA francs ($15.33 million), captured by an army patrol in the northern region of Air.
Soldiers also seized arms, munitions and aircraft fuel.
President Mamadou Tandja's government has refused to recognise the MNJ, blaming the violence in northern Niger on bandits and smugglers of arms and drugs.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Two stories over how Ninteen Tuaregs Killed
By Abdoulaye Massalatchi
NIAMEY, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Niger's army said on Tuesday it had killed 19 Tuareg "bandits" when it intercepted a drug-smuggling convoy near the border with Algeria, but a Tuareg rebel Web site accused soldiers of killing 12 unarmed civilians.
Army officers said the clash took place on Monday east of Assamakka in the Toussasset area of the northern Agadez region, where authorities have declared a state of alert since late August to counter a rebellion by light-skinned Tuareg fighters.
The Tuareg-led rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which the government dismisses as drug-trafficking bandits, launched an uprising in the uranium-mining north of the impoverished Sahel country in February. Since then, it has killed at least 45 government soldiers and taken dozens more captive.
"Our forces on patrol came across armed MNJ bandits travelling in several heavily armed vehicles and in the clashes, 19 bandits were killed and two of their vehicles knocked out," one army officer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
"We seized arms and drugs," the officer added.
On its Web site, www.m-n-j.blogspot.com, the MNJ accused the army of "massacring" 12 Tuareg civilians on the Algerian frontier, although it did not specify the exact location.
The group said army soldiers halted five passenger vehicles, ordered their occupants out, separated light-skinned Tuaregs from darker-skinned passengers and then killed the former.
There was no independent confirmation of the incidents reported by the army and the MNJ.
Niger's authorities have imposed a media blackout on coverage of the northern unrest and have tried to prevent reporters from travelling to the Agadez region.
The MNJ, which announced last month it was halting offensive operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, says it wants the northern Tuareg region to have greater autonomy from Niger's black-dominated government ruling far to the south.
The group is also demanding the region be given a greater share of the mineral wealth it produces.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
NIAMEY, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Niger's army said on Tuesday it had killed 19 Tuareg "bandits" when it intercepted a drug-smuggling convoy near the border with Algeria, but a Tuareg rebel Web site accused soldiers of killing 12 unarmed civilians.
Army officers said the clash took place on Monday east of Assamakka in the Toussasset area of the northern Agadez region, where authorities have declared a state of alert since late August to counter a rebellion by light-skinned Tuareg fighters.
The Tuareg-led rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which the government dismisses as drug-trafficking bandits, launched an uprising in the uranium-mining north of the impoverished Sahel country in February. Since then, it has killed at least 45 government soldiers and taken dozens more captive.
"Our forces on patrol came across armed MNJ bandits travelling in several heavily armed vehicles and in the clashes, 19 bandits were killed and two of their vehicles knocked out," one army officer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
"We seized arms and drugs," the officer added.
On its Web site, www.m-n-j.blogspot.com, the MNJ accused the army of "massacring" 12 Tuareg civilians on the Algerian frontier, although it did not specify the exact location.
The group said army soldiers halted five passenger vehicles, ordered their occupants out, separated light-skinned Tuaregs from darker-skinned passengers and then killed the former.
There was no independent confirmation of the incidents reported by the army and the MNJ.
Niger's authorities have imposed a media blackout on coverage of the northern unrest and have tried to prevent reporters from travelling to the Agadez region.
The MNJ, which announced last month it was halting offensive operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, says it wants the northern Tuareg region to have greater autonomy from Niger's black-dominated government ruling far to the south.
The group is also demanding the region be given a greater share of the mineral wealth it produces.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Government Forces Close in on Tuareg Rebels, MNJ
BAMAKO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Tuareg rebels in northern Mali have agreed to free military hostages as government forces encircle their positions in a remote desert garrison town, a government source said on Wednesday.
Fighters loyal to insurgent chief Ibrahima Bahanga have besieged Tin-Zaouatene since last Friday following a flurry of raids against military targets in what appears to be a limited revival of the region's 1990s Tuareg rebellion.
The army had set up a cordon around Bahanga's positions, a military source said, while local officials and mediators from neighbouring Algeria extracted guarantees including the release of government soldiers and access for a demining team.
"There's nothing official but, from what has leaked out, the mediators have obtained from
Bahanga the liberation of the hostages, access for a team to demine the zone and a (temporary) cessation of hostilities," the government source said.
It was not immediately possible to contact the insurgents.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Fighters loyal to insurgent chief Ibrahima Bahanga have besieged Tin-Zaouatene since last Friday following a flurry of raids against military targets in what appears to be a limited revival of the region's 1990s Tuareg rebellion.
The army had set up a cordon around Bahanga's positions, a military source said, while local officials and mediators from neighbouring Algeria extracted guarantees including the release of government soldiers and access for a demining team.
"There's nothing official but, from what has leaked out, the mediators have obtained from
Bahanga the liberation of the hostages, access for a team to demine the zone and a (temporary) cessation of hostilities," the government source said.
It was not immediately possible to contact the insurgents.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Niger Rebels attack Military in Mali
By Tiemoko Diallo
BAMAKO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Suspected Tuareg gunmen seized a military supply convoy in northern Mali, their second attack in two days and the latest sign of a concerted campaign with Tuareg rebels in neighbouring Niger, military sources said on Tuesday.
The ambush by a group of armed men crossing the desert in Toyota pick-ups took place on Monday some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Tinsawatene, in Mali's desolate northern reaches, the sources said.
Some soldiers were injured and several attackers killed during hours of fighting before the rebels escaped with a supply truck, two Toyota vehicles and some prisoners.
"We do not know the death toll yet but many Toyotas were burned and many of the attackers were killed," said a senior Defence Ministry source.
On Sunday, suspected Tuareg gunmen abducted about 25 Malian soldiers in a remote Saharan town and took them off toward Niger, where the nomadic tribesmen have been waging a campaign for seven months, which has killed more than 45 soldiers.
The mountainous area where Sunday's abduction took place is regarded as a stronghold of Tuareg leader Ibrahima Bahanga, whom Malian authorities accuse of killing a gendarme in an attack in May backed by rebels from the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ).
"We are obliged to work closely with Niger because we believe there are links between the two groups," said the senior defence source.
"When they launch attacks in Niger they seek refuge in Mali, and when they attack in Mali they hide in Niger."
"There are contacts under way between military authorities in Mali and Niger to secure the area," the source added.
Last week, Mali and Niger's security ministers met in the eastern Malian town of Gao and signed a deal allowing each others' security forces to pursue suspected bandits across their common border.
Bahanga, one of the leaders of a Tuareg revolt in the 1990s which won greater autonomy for the light-skinned tribesmen in Mali and Niger, has been disowned by a broader Malian rebel alliance, which signed a deal with President Amadou Toumani Toure in July 2006.
Toure, during a weekend visit to Tripoli, said he had agreed with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to hold a regional summit on security in the Sahel.
Niger President Mamadou Tandja has also appealed for regional support in quelling the uprising, which his government has accused French nuclear power company Areva "rich foreign powers" of supporting.
The company has strongly denied this.
Niger's government said on Tuesday it had demined and reopened the road between the northern uranium mining hub of Arlit and the oasis town of Iferouane, which lies more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital Niamey and has been isolated for more than two months.
A military convoy was able to deliver 60 tonnes of emergency food aid to the settlement, which lies in the heart of the rebel zone and was the scene of its first attack in February. (Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi in Niamey)
The Rest @ Rueters Africa
BAMAKO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Suspected Tuareg gunmen seized a military supply convoy in northern Mali, their second attack in two days and the latest sign of a concerted campaign with Tuareg rebels in neighbouring Niger, military sources said on Tuesday.
The ambush by a group of armed men crossing the desert in Toyota pick-ups took place on Monday some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Tinsawatene, in Mali's desolate northern reaches, the sources said.
Some soldiers were injured and several attackers killed during hours of fighting before the rebels escaped with a supply truck, two Toyota vehicles and some prisoners.
"We do not know the death toll yet but many Toyotas were burned and many of the attackers were killed," said a senior Defence Ministry source.
On Sunday, suspected Tuareg gunmen abducted about 25 Malian soldiers in a remote Saharan town and took them off toward Niger, where the nomadic tribesmen have been waging a campaign for seven months, which has killed more than 45 soldiers.
The mountainous area where Sunday's abduction took place is regarded as a stronghold of Tuareg leader Ibrahima Bahanga, whom Malian authorities accuse of killing a gendarme in an attack in May backed by rebels from the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ).
"We are obliged to work closely with Niger because we believe there are links between the two groups," said the senior defence source.
"When they launch attacks in Niger they seek refuge in Mali, and when they attack in Mali they hide in Niger."
"There are contacts under way between military authorities in Mali and Niger to secure the area," the source added.
Last week, Mali and Niger's security ministers met in the eastern Malian town of Gao and signed a deal allowing each others' security forces to pursue suspected bandits across their common border.
Bahanga, one of the leaders of a Tuareg revolt in the 1990s which won greater autonomy for the light-skinned tribesmen in Mali and Niger, has been disowned by a broader Malian rebel alliance, which signed a deal with President Amadou Toumani Toure in July 2006.
Toure, during a weekend visit to Tripoli, said he had agreed with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to hold a regional summit on security in the Sahel.
Niger President Mamadou Tandja has also appealed for regional support in quelling the uprising, which his government has accused French nuclear power company Areva "rich foreign powers" of supporting.
The company has strongly denied this.
Niger's government said on Tuesday it had demined and reopened the road between the northern uranium mining hub of Arlit and the oasis town of Iferouane, which lies more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital Niamey and has been isolated for more than two months.
A military convoy was able to deliver 60 tonnes of emergency food aid to the settlement, which lies in the heart of the rebel zone and was the scene of its first attack in February. (Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi in Niamey)
The Rest @ Rueters Africa
Friday, August 24, 2007
State of Alert in Northern Niger
NIAMEY, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Niger's President Mamadou Tandja declared a state of alert in the country's desert north on Friday, giving the security forces additional powers in their fight against an insurgency by Tuareg-led rebels.
"A state of alert is declared for 3 months," Tandja said in a decree read on national radio.
The rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) has killed at least 45 soldiers in the West African nation's remote Saharan north since February.
Tandja's decree gives additional powers of arrest and detention to the security forces and restricts the movement of civilians on main routes between towns in the region, home to some of the world's largest reserves of uranium.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
"A state of alert is declared for 3 months," Tandja said in a decree read on national radio.
The rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) has killed at least 45 soldiers in the West African nation's remote Saharan north since February.
Tandja's decree gives additional powers of arrest and detention to the security forces and restricts the movement of civilians on main routes between towns in the region, home to some of the world's largest reserves of uranium.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Niger and Mali to Cooperate in Guarding their Borders
NIAMEY, 24 August 2007 (IRIN) - In the face of "persistent acts of banditry in the border area", senior government officials from Niger and Mali have agreed to jointly guard their 1,000km of shared border against the movement of drugs, guns and people, and improve coordination in the region.
Niger's Interior Minister, Albade Abouba, and his counterpart in Mali, General Sadio Gassama, reached the agreement on 21 August at a meeting in Gao, northern Mali, at which they reportedly said a 2002 deal between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to create a joint brigade to curb trafficking of light arms, secure borders and distribute humanitarian aid should be revitalised.
The agreement comes at a time when insecurity is spiking in northern Niger. Persistent attacks on army bases, road transport and uranium mining facilities are being claimed by the National Movement for Justice (MNJ), which purports to be a rebel group fighting for development in Niger. The Nigerien government has accused the perpetrators of being bandits and drug smugglers profiting from instability in the remote desert region.
"Noting persistent acts of banditry in the shared border area, the two delegations agree to reinforce the cross-border cooperation between security and defence forces on one hand, and administrative authorities and communities on the other," according to a communiqué released after the meeting, published in newspapers in Niger's capital Niamey on Friday.
"Insecurity linked to banditry and criminality in all its forms that was curbed before is unfortunately a dangerous menace to peace, stability and progress again," Nigerien minister Abouba reportedly said in his opening remarks at the meeting, Le Sahel newspaper in Niamey said.
There have been occasional news reports of links between the Touareg-dominated MNJ in Niger and other Touareg groups in neighbouring Mali and Algeria. During a previous uprising by Touareg in Niger and Mali there were strong links between some wings of the movements, however the violence this year in Niger has not been replicated outside the country.
The meeting on 21 August recommended investment by both governments in the operational capacities of the defence and security forces to improve logistics, communications, and human resources along the border and "intensified cooperation" to track real-time information about threats and movements in the region, the communiqué said.
"The bandits in Niger must be pinpointed in Mali and be tracked just as if they had been found on Niger's territory," Mali's General Gassama was reported to have said.
The Rest @ Irin
Niger's Interior Minister, Albade Abouba, and his counterpart in Mali, General Sadio Gassama, reached the agreement on 21 August at a meeting in Gao, northern Mali, at which they reportedly said a 2002 deal between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to create a joint brigade to curb trafficking of light arms, secure borders and distribute humanitarian aid should be revitalised.
The agreement comes at a time when insecurity is spiking in northern Niger. Persistent attacks on army bases, road transport and uranium mining facilities are being claimed by the National Movement for Justice (MNJ), which purports to be a rebel group fighting for development in Niger. The Nigerien government has accused the perpetrators of being bandits and drug smugglers profiting from instability in the remote desert region.
"Noting persistent acts of banditry in the shared border area, the two delegations agree to reinforce the cross-border cooperation between security and defence forces on one hand, and administrative authorities and communities on the other," according to a communiqué released after the meeting, published in newspapers in Niger's capital Niamey on Friday.
"Insecurity linked to banditry and criminality in all its forms that was curbed before is unfortunately a dangerous menace to peace, stability and progress again," Nigerien minister Abouba reportedly said in his opening remarks at the meeting, Le Sahel newspaper in Niamey said.
There have been occasional news reports of links between the Touareg-dominated MNJ in Niger and other Touareg groups in neighbouring Mali and Algeria. During a previous uprising by Touareg in Niger and Mali there were strong links between some wings of the movements, however the violence this year in Niger has not been replicated outside the country.
The meeting on 21 August recommended investment by both governments in the operational capacities of the defence and security forces to improve logistics, communications, and human resources along the border and "intensified cooperation" to track real-time information about threats and movements in the region, the communiqué said.
"The bandits in Niger must be pinpointed in Mali and be tracked just as if they had been found on Niger's territory," Mali's General Gassama was reported to have said.
The Rest @ Irin
Thursday, August 23, 2007
NIAMEY, Aug 23 (Reuters) -
Gunmen in northern Niger thought to be members of a Tuareg-led rebel group opened fire on a bus carrying 60 passengers on Thursday before stealing their goods and setting light to the vehicle, military sources said.
The attackers opened fire to stop the bus on the road between the remote desert towns of Agadez and Arlit, where nomadic rebels have been fighting an insurgency since February, but did not shoot directly at those on board, the sources said.
"There were around 60 passengers who were robbed. The attackers then burned the vehicle before withdrawing," one of the military sources said, adding there were no casualties.
"The security forces are pursuing them."
The assailants were believed to be members of the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has killed at least 45 soldiers in the West African nation's remote Saharan north since February as it pushes demands for greater economic development.
MNJ representatives were not immediately available to comment.
Several civilian and army vehicles have hit mines, virtually halting road traffic and bringing the region's local economy to a grinding halt. Travel between towns is banned after dark and foreigners must be accompanied by an army escort.
The region around Agadez, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from the capital Niamey, is home to some of the world's largest reserves of uranium but has long been notoriously unstable.
Light-skinned Tuareg tribesmen waged a rebellion in the 1990s demanding greater autonomy from a black-African dominated government. The MNJ says the peace deals that ended that insurgency have never been fully implemented.
Niger's government refuses to recognise the MNJ, dismissing them as common bandits and drug traffickers, but has called on neighbouring states in the Sahara to try to cut off its supplies of weapons, food and fuel.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Gunmen in northern Niger thought to be members of a Tuareg-led rebel group opened fire on a bus carrying 60 passengers on Thursday before stealing their goods and setting light to the vehicle, military sources said.
The attackers opened fire to stop the bus on the road between the remote desert towns of Agadez and Arlit, where nomadic rebels have been fighting an insurgency since February, but did not shoot directly at those on board, the sources said.
"There were around 60 passengers who were robbed. The attackers then burned the vehicle before withdrawing," one of the military sources said, adding there were no casualties.
"The security forces are pursuing them."
The assailants were believed to be members of the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ), which has killed at least 45 soldiers in the West African nation's remote Saharan north since February as it pushes demands for greater economic development.
MNJ representatives were not immediately available to comment.
Several civilian and army vehicles have hit mines, virtually halting road traffic and bringing the region's local economy to a grinding halt. Travel between towns is banned after dark and foreigners must be accompanied by an army escort.
The region around Agadez, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from the capital Niamey, is home to some of the world's largest reserves of uranium but has long been notoriously unstable.
Light-skinned Tuareg tribesmen waged a rebellion in the 1990s demanding greater autonomy from a black-African dominated government. The MNJ says the peace deals that ended that insurgency have never been fully implemented.
Niger's government refuses to recognise the MNJ, dismissing them as common bandits and drug traffickers, but has called on neighbouring states in the Sahara to try to cut off its supplies of weapons, food and fuel.
The Rest @ Reuters Africa
Movement for Justice (MNJ), Attacks in Iferouane ( Niger)
Niger Tuareg-led rebels from the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) said late Aug. 21 they had killed 15 government soldiers in a clash at Gougaram in the West African country's remote Saharan north, where uranium is mined.
The rebel group, which before the latest reported fighting had already killed at least 44 government troops since February, said.....
a large convoy of military vehicles had advanced towards the town of Iferouane on Aug.21, prompting the following day's clash.
The MNJ is demanding a fairer share in its mineral wealth and more development assistance. (Reuters)
The rebel group, which before the latest reported fighting had already killed at least 44 government troops since February, said.....
a large convoy of military vehicles had advanced towards the town of Iferouane on Aug.21, prompting the following day's clash.
The MNJ is demanding a fairer share in its mineral wealth and more development assistance. (Reuters)
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