MPLJ’s Insurgency Expands in Northern Niger Targeting Foreign Interests

Incident Summary

On 2 September 2025, between 03:00 and 04:00, armed insurgents launched a coordinated assault on a Nigerien National Guard patrol and a security post in Abalama, commune of Aderbissinat (Agadez region). The attackers, estimated at around a dozen fighters, attempted a pre-dawn ambush against security forces tasked with protecting the road construction works in the area.

Casualties and outcomes:

• Security forces: 1 soldier killed, 3 wounded.
• Attackers: 2 fighters killed, 1 captured alive.
• Material: The insurgents showcased seized weapons and equipment online before withdrawing.

The swift response of Nigerien forces prevented a larger breakthrough, but the attack underlined the continued vulnerability of security positions in northern Niger.

Claim of Responsibility

The Mouvement Patriotique pour la Liberté et la Justice (MPLJ) publicly claimed the attack in an official communiqué. The group described the operation as the start of a campaign of actions against the regime and its foreign partners. The statement called on all foreign companies, particularly those involved in infrastructure and resource exploitation, to leave Niger immediately. Only humanitarian organizations were said to be tolerated.

The MPLJ framed the assault as a defence of Niger’s sovereignty, accusing the government in Niamey of being illegitimate and complicit with external actors. The group’s rhetoric placed particular emphasis on targeting foreign businesses, especially those with Chinese ownership or involvement in major projects.

Operational Context

The MPLJ was created in August 2024 by Commander Moussa Kounaï, following his split from the Front Patriotique de Libération (FPL). While the FPL suffered significant setbacks – including leadership arrests and defections – the MPLJ remained active in the north, recruiting fighters and preparing for renewed insurgent activity.

The group has previously been associated with sabotage of oil pipelines, ambushes against security forces, and threats against foreign operators. Its declared mission is to expel foreign companies from Niger and undermine the economic foundations of the current regime. The MPLJ positions itself as both a nationalist and anti-regime force, seeking to capitalize on widespread discontent with governance and external economic influence.

Strategic Objectives

1. MPLJ’s strategy combines three elements:

Military action – targeting security posts and convoys to demonstrate capability and weaken government control.

2. Economic warfare – sabotaging infrastructure projects, with a focus on those linked to foreign investors.

3. Political messaging – issuing communiqués to project itself as a legitimate resistance force and rally local support by denouncing corruption and foreign exploitation.

The choice of Abalama, near a Chinese company involved in the rehabilitation of the Tanout–Tiguidit road (a key axis of the Algiers–Lagos corridor), illustrates the group’s intent to directly link attacks with its anti-foreign agenda.

Implications for Foreign Companies

The Abalama attack highlights an elevated risk environment for foreign enterprises operating in northern Niger. Companies in the following sectors are particularly exposed:

• Infrastructure and construction: Projects such as the Tanout–Tiguidit road face direct insurgent pressure. Workers’ camps and convoys may be targeted.
• Oil and energy: Facilities and pipelines remain priority targets for MPLJ, especially those linked to Chinese operators, to deprive the regime of revenue.
• Mining and extraction: Uranium and gold operations in the Agadez region could be considered valid targets under MPLJ’s anti-foreign narrative.
• Logistics and transport: Convoys moving along the Agadez–Zinder axis face heightened risks of ambushes and sabotage.

Foreign companies operating in Niger must anticipate higher operational costs, delays, and potential personnel risks. MPLJ’s threats are not rhetorical; the Abalama incident demonstrates both the group’s intent and its capability to execute attacks against projects associated with foreign actors.

Conclusion

The 2 September attack in Abalama represents a significant step in MPLJ’s insurgency, combining military action with political communication and explicit threats against foreign economic presence. African Security Analysis (ASA) assesses that the group will continue to pursue attacks on security forces while increasingly focusing on infrastructure and resource projects tied to foreign companies.

Foreign operators in Niger – particularly those from China and other states with major stakes in infrastructure and energy – face a sustained period of insecurity. The incident underscores the reality that foreign enterprises in northern Niger are now central targets in a widening insurgent strategy.

ASA stands ready to provide foreign companies and international stakeholders with detailed security information, tailored risk assessments, and situational analysis to help anticipate threats and protect their operations in Niger.