Capture of Inkinane Ag Attaher
A Key Figure in Regional Destabilization
On the night of April 3-4, 2025, Nigerien security forces arrested Inkinane Ag Attaher, a prominent figure in the Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA), at the Niger-Nigeria border. A former Malian army officer turned deserter, Ag Attaher has long been sought for his role in facilitating foreign interference and destabilization in the Sahel.
Ag Attaher is accused of coordinating the training and equipping of FLA fighters with kamikaze drones, leveraging connections with foreign intelligence services. He reportedly facilitated the deployment of FLA operatives to Ukraine for specialized training and arranged for Ukrainian trainers to operate in Mali. Injured in February 2024 during a drone operation, he was discreetly evacuated through Mauritania.
A founding member of the Mouvement National de Libération de l’Azawad (MNLA) and advisor to its leader, Bilal Ag Acharif, Ag Attaher is implicated in numerous destabilizing activities, including attacks on military bases and the deadly assault on a boat in Timbuktu that claimed the lives of women and children. He is also suspected of collaborating with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) during massacres in Ménaka and Gao in 2022.
His arrest marks a turning point in the fight against terrorism and foreign interference in the Sahel, sending a clear message that betrayal and complicity with hostile forces will not go unpunished.
Arrest of JNIM Operative in Tillabéri
In a separate operation on April 3, 2025, the Nigerien Army intercepted a suspected senior member of Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) along the Torodi–Niamey route in the Tillabéri region. The suspect was apprehended at approximately 6:30 p.m. during a routine operation. A search of the suspect's vehicle uncovered a firearm, several mobile phones, and 5,032,900 CFA francs, believed to be intended for procuring logistics to support terrorist activities.
Further investigations led troops to a garden in the village of Boborgou, allegedly used as a logistical base by armed groups. Items recovered included food supplies, communication airtime credit, clothing, and black fabric suspected to be used for camouflage. Additionally, a nearby school building was found to house a significant stockpile of pasta, reportedly meant to sustain active terrorist elements in the area.
The suspect is also linked to the hijacking of two vehicles between Makalondi and Niaktiré on April 2. Security operations in the region remain ongoing as part of broader efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and restore stability.
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Escalating Jihadist Violence and Political Fragmentation in the Sahel
In the last week of April 2025, the Sahel region experienced a significant escalation in violence and instability, primarily driven by jihadist groups and ongoing political fragmentation. JNIM, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, launched coordinated attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Benin from April 21–25, targeting civilians, security forces, and urban centres.
A Fragile Ceasefire in Eastern DRC
Amid ongoing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), two nearly identical statements released on April 23, 2025, announced an immediate ceasefire. One was signed in Goma by a member of the rebel group AFC/M23—someone not even officially part of the delegation—and the other was issued by the Congolese government in Kinshasa.
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