An improvised explosive device (IED) has killed at least eight workers at the Samira gold mine in Niger’s restive Tillaberi region, local sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Friday when a convoy transporting mine workers hit an explosive device while returning to the capital, Niamey, under military escort. The vehicle involved, a minibus, was destroyed in the blast.
“They rolled over a mine, and the explosion caused eight deaths. They were buried on Sunday,” said Amadou Arouna Maiga, head of the Tillaberi Union for Peace and Security, in a televised statement. Some reports, including one from local newspaper l’Enquêteur, suggest the death toll may exceed ten.
The Samira mine, Niger’s only industrial gold mine, has operated since 2004 and is run by the Société des Mines du Liptako (SML). It lies in a region plagued by extremist violence, fueled by militant groups operating across Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
The Tillaberi region has been a frequent target of insurgent attacks. In May 2023, seven soldiers were killed in a similar landmine explosion near the mine. In another incident in 2021, armed militants abducted two Chinese workers in the same region. They were released after nine months.
Niger’s military, which took power in a 2023 coup, has stationed more than 2,000 troops in the area to combat insurgent threats. Junta leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani visited the Samira mine earlier this year to assess security efforts and meet with deployed forces.
Alongside the violence in the west, Niger continues to grapple with insurgencies from Boko Haram and ISWAP in the southeastern region.