Makalondi — The recent attacks on the military and refugees in the refugee camp in Boni (Torodi department, Makalondi municipality) left people dead and injured.

"The first tragic clash took place on the afternoon of Monday, May 20th," writes Father Pier Luigi Maccalli, a priest of the Society of African Missions (SMA), who lived as a missionary in these areas and was the victim of a kidnapping in this region in September 2018 of the Sahel (see Fides, 9/10/2020) to Fides.

"I have learned that among the people killed and injured are many of my Nigerien brothers, including the catechist of the Christian community in the village of Nguula, 35 km from Bomoanga, father of a deacon who will be ordained a priest in a few months", reports the missionary.

According to local information, the exact death toll is not yet known, but it appears to be very high. The area is threatened by the regional Islamist terrorist groups JNIM-AQMI. According to initial reports, at least two Nigerien Security Forces (FDS) vehicles initially managed to escape the attack; however, one hit a mine before reaching Makalondi and the second managed to reach its destination. Early on Monday afternoon, the local military reported large gatherings of people near Tangunga, but their appeal went unheeded. The refugee camp in Boni was besieged for several hours, without reinforcements from the air or from the ground, but they fought bravely (according to the official communiqué, which was subsequently read out on national television). These were large-scale clashes involving hundreds of motorcycles and dozens of vehicles, with many casualties among civilians fleeing the refugee camp.

"The growing insecurity and constant threats in the area on the border between Niger and Burkina Faso are probably due to the location of the area, which is particularly tempting because of gold mining," concluded Father Maccalli.