A village in southwestern Niger called Torodi has allegedly been completely blocked off by armed terrorist organizations, leading to growing fears of insecurity and a possible danger to Niamey, the capital of the nation.
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The Niakatiré road and the Kobadjé-Torodi corridor, among others, have reportedly been cut off by insurgents, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.
Unsettlingly, an ambulance was shot at while trying to travel through the area. One person inside was shot in the arm, but the vehicle barely escaped disaster.
“They opened fire on the ambulance. A narrow escape occurred. The authorities have made it very plain that no vehicles are to be permitted into or out of Torodi,” a resident stated in an audio clip that is currently floating around the community. “All traffic has been stopped as they have taken up station near the Kobagué customs post.”
Terrorists from a gang active in the dangerous tri-border area shared by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are allegedly behind the attacks.
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Because of its protective buffer role between Niamey, the capital, and rebel lines from Burkina Faso, Torodi’s vital location (about 50 kilometers away) makes the siege all the more worrisome.
The fact that an IED was detonated between Kobadjé and Torodi in the Prefect’s convoy is a further indication of the worsening security situation, according to local authorities.
If the blockage persists, according to security experts, it might disrupt supply and communication routes to Niamey and neighboring regions like Bankilaré, further weakening the Tillabéri region’s already precarious security dynamics.
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