Recently in Niger Category

"Thanks to Allah, we have carried out two operations against the enemies of Islam in Niger. We attacked France and Niger for its cooperation with France in the war against sharia." Yet we're constantly told by Islamic spokesmen in the U.S. that Sharia is benign and completely compatible with American Constitutional freedoms. How very odd that elsewhere it so often leads to violence.

More on this story. "Islamist bombers kill 20 in Niger attacks, seize hostages," from AFP, May 23:

Islamist militants staged brazen twin car bomb attacks on an army base and a French-run uranium mine in Niger, killing at least 20 people and taking several trainee army officers hostage, the government said.

The unprecedented attacks were claimed by an Islamist group as revenge for Niger's involvement in a French-led military offensive in neighbouring Mali and come just four months after Al-Qaeda linked militants seized a desert gas plant in neighbouring Algeria in a siege that left 38 hostages dead.

The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), one of the Islamist groups which seized control of northern Mali last year before being driven out by French-led troops, claimed the near simultaneous bombings at the Agadez army base and the French majority-owned uranium mine in Arlit.

Oneness -- that is, tauhid, the Islamic concept of the absolute unity of Allah.

"Thanks to Allah, we have carried out two operations against the enemies of Islam in Niger," MUJAO spokesman Abu Walid Sahraoui told AFP.

"We attacked France and Niger for its cooperation with France in the war against sharia (Islamic law)."

Eighteen soldiers and a civilian were killed along with four attackers at the army base in Agadez, the largest city in northern Niger, while around 50 people were wounded at the mine, Interior Minister Abdou Labo said....

"A spokesman for the Niger government, Morou Amadou, said the attacks were by Islamist militants, probably from al Qaeda's north Africa wing, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) or its spin-off West African group The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which seized control of neighboring north Mali last year."

Unity -- that is, Tauhid, the Islamic concept of the absolute oneness of Allah. This is yet another front of the same jihad that struck in London yesterday, and in Boston on April 15, etc.

"Uranium mine, military barracks attacked by suicide bombers in Niger," by Abdoulaye Massalatchi for Reuters, May 22 (thanks to Kenneth):

NIAMEY, Niger - Suicide bombers struck a mine run by French nuclear group Areva and a military barracks in Niger on Thursday, killing and wounding several people in separate attacks that underline the widening threat posed by Islamist militants across West Africa.

Military sources said several soldiers were killed in a gun battle with Islamists following a car bomb attack at the barracks in Agadez, the largest town in northern Niger.

Areva said at least 13 members of staff were wounded in another bomb attack at about the same time at the Somair uranium mine it operates in the town of Arlit, in Niger's desert north.

A spokesman for the Niger government, Morou Amadou, said the attacks were by Islamist militants, probably from al Qaeda's north Africa wing, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) or its spin-off West African group The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which seized control of neighboring north Mali last year before being ousted by a French-led offensive launched in January.

"These are terrorists who have carried out the suicide attacks in Agadez and Arlit," he said. "The terrorists - I don't know for sure whether it was AQIM or MUJAO - infiltrated these towns and security forces have been deployed and are scouring the area."

The suicide attacks were the first in Niger since the offensive in northern Mali drove Islamist groups there into the vast, empty desert and across borders into neighboring Sahel states....

Hard to imagine that the Sahel was ever all that safe, but now the jihad there is stepping up in intensity. "France: Sahel no longer safe after al Qaeda attack," by John Irish and Abdoulaye Massalaatchi for Reuters, January 9 (thanks to Ken):

PARIS/NIAMEY (Reuters) - France said on Sunday the African Sahel region was no longer safe for its citizens after suspected al Qaeda militants killed two Frenchmen in Niger.

The pair were found dead, apparently killed by their kidnappers on Saturday, after French special forces joined a failed attempt to rescue them in the African state.

"French nationals should be extremely vigilant and careful at all times," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website. "In view of the terrorism threat on the region, no area can be considered safe any longer."

The Sahel includes Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Northern Nigeria.

The two victims were abducted from a bar, bringing to eight the number of French nationals snatched in Niger since last April. They were the first to be seized in the capital Niamey, far from the lawless desert where Islamist militants, rebels and bandits flourish.

"This heinous crime reinforces the resolve of France to fight against terrorists and terrorism ... democracies cannot accept this," President Nicolas Sarkozy said on a visit to France's overseas territory of Guadeloupe....

We'll see.

Sharia is a comprehensive set of laws designed to address every facet of human existence.

Now, if you say that with a smile and stop there, you're well on your way to a fruitful career in lobbying or the mainstream media. Not so much if you continue with the observation that Sharia's existence as a package deal that does not lend itself to compartmentalization is a profound liability, because of the many provisions in the law that are regressive, unjust, discriminatory, and unreasonable. Those include the areas of women's rights (see below, last paragraph), the subjugation of non-Muslims and restrictions on the open practice of their religion, the death penalty for apostasy, cruel and unusual punishments like amputation and lashes, and the doctrine of jihad to advance the cause of Islam.

Obviously, the clerics have a personal, vested interest in ensuring the political power of Islam for its own sake. They would have a major piece of the action. But the acceptance of Sharia in principle sets the stage for the assertion of more severe implementation of the law, as well as for perpetual and possibly bloody conflict over "how much" Sharia is "enough," when purportedly divinely-issued laws do not lend themselves to an a la carte treatment, and the purpose of jihad itself is to impose Islamic law.

If they want to see such a ticking time bomb in action, they need only look at the constitution of Afghanistan, the laws already passed, and demands made for Sharia's most severe punishments, which would be perfectly constitutional. Or Aceh, where galloping Sharia infringes ever more on citizens' rights in public and private, all of which was likely once met with a chorus of "oh, that won't actually happen here."

"Muslim groups urge boycott of Niger vote," from Reuters, October 27:

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Muslim groups in junta-led Niger urged voters on Wednesday to boycott a weekend referendum on a new constitution setting the terms of a return to civilian rule, complaining that it neglected Islam.

Sunday's vote is the first in a series of elections due to end in the swearing-in of a new civilian leader by April next year, replacing the leaders of February's coup against former president Mamadou Tandja.

The new constitution seeks to undo new presidential powers that Tandja had awarded to himself before being deposed, and to improve governance in the mining sector of a country which is nuclear-power France's top uranium-supplier.

It also formalises a separation of powers between the secular state and Islam in a country 98 percent of whose 15 million citizens are Muslim.

The fact that they're trying something new tends to suggest something wasn't working.

"Separating state and religion means quite simply that Allah does not figure as a priority in this state funded by the money of Muslims -- that you can govern Nigeriens with all sorts of atheistic, anti-religious ideologies and ideas," said Harouni Fodi of the Islamic association Anassi.

The country's Muslim groups are seen as influential, having either blocked or forced changes in a number of planned reforms on family law or women's rights in recent years

Not "What we want is, firstly, is to inflict so much damage on al-Qaeda that they will never take French hostages again."

"France asks al-Qaeda for demands over Niger hostages," from the BBC, September 23 (thanks to Twostellas):

France wants to contact an al-Qaeda group which seized five of its citizens and two others at a uranium mine in Niger last week, a minister has said.

"What we want is, firstly, for al-Qaeda at some point to at least put some demands on the table," Defence Minister Herve Morin told French radio.

A French military team is in Niger to help find the hostages who include a Togolese and a Malagasy national.

The militants killed a French hostage after a failed rescue bid in July....

A new statement attributed to the group appeared on Islamist forums on Thursday, warning France against trying to rescue its citizens....

Not that this has anything to do with Islam. "Al Qaeda says it abducted employees of French firm in Niger," from CNN, September 22:

(CNN) -- Al Qaeda's North African wing, known as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, said it is responsible for last week's kidnapping of five French nationals in Niger, the Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera reported Tuesday.

The news agency broadcast an audio recording of a voice it identified as that of Salah Abou Mohammed, a spokesman for AQIM. CNN was not immediately able to independently confirm the report.

"Even though security was tight in the location and the security guards were many, the soldiers of Islam took control of all security and kidnapped five French nuclear experts that work at the company Areva. And we claim responsibility for this blessed operation," he said, as reported by al-Jazeera.

"And we would like to tell the French government that the mujahedeen will make their demands soon. We warn you against taking any unwise actions."...

West Africa, as we have often noted here, is increasingly becoming a safe haven for radical Muslims. From the Washington Post, :

With the end of the brutal conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, West Africa is seldom in the news or on the policy agenda these days. Yet the region is quietly gaining recognition as what it has long been: a haven for al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Weak and corrupt governments, vast, virtually stateless stretches awash in weapons, and impoverished, largely Muslim populations make the region an ideal sanctuary.

U.S. Gen. Charles Wald, deputy commander of the European Central Command, has been warning Congress and the Pentagon for months that al Qaeda-affiliated groups are active in Mauritania, Mali, Chad and Niger. The trade in diamonds used by terrorist groups, begun under the protection of former Liberian strongman Charles Taylor, continues despite international efforts to curb it. "The terrorist activity in this area is not going to go away," Wald warned recently. "This could affect your kids and your grandchildren in a huge way. If we don't do something about it, we are going to have a real problem on our hands."

Jihad rages already in neighboring Nigeria, and now it is spreading to other areas of West Africa. From AP, with thanks to Twostellas:

Faced with a growing threat from Islamic militants, Niger is deploying extra troops to its troubled northern deserts with plans to multiply army patrols and set up a permanent forward operating base to improve security, the defense minister said Tuesday.

Fighters from the Salafist Group for Call and Combat are operating in Niger, and the army has battled them several times since Feb. 22, Defense Minister Hassane Bonta told reporters during a rare news conference.

The Salafist group is an Algerian Islamic militant organization believed to have links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

It is "imperative to equip the Niger army with the means to act against this new situation," Bonta said, calling the militants "terrorists."

The defense minister didn't say how many extra troops would be deployed or what other equipment they would receive. He also declined to say where the new northern army base would be established.

Niger's army first exchanged fire with the Salafist group Feb. 6 in Midal, about 370 miles northeast of the capital, Niamey, Bonta said.

The same day further north, troops battled a Salafist group that attacked French tourists, he said.

On March 5, in a joint operation with troops from neighboring Chad, soldiers cornered a group of Salafist guerrillas on Niger's eastern border, near a military base at Dao Timi, Bonta said.

Reinforcements were sent to the region and skirmishes continued, ending in the death of 43 last week.

Chadian officials reported the fighting Friday, saying it took place between March 8-9 near a remote village on Chad's western border with Niger, from where the Salafist militants had come. Bonta said Niger troops didn't cross the border.

"After reinforcing our troops, our soldiers pursued (the militants) up to the border with Chad," Bonta said, cornering them along the frontier.

Three Chadian soldiers were killed and 18 were wounded, according to military authorities from both countries.

Bonta said no Niger soldiers died. Five militants were detained along with equipment they were forced to leave behind - five vehicles, mortars, AK-47s, heavy guns and two pairs of night vision goggles.

U.S. military officials believe the open deserts and weak, impoverished governments of West Africa provide and inviting refuge for terrorists, and have been stepping up activities in the region as a result.

Under the auspices of a State Department-funded program called as the Pan-Sahel Initiative, U.S. forces are aiding armies in Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania to better guard their porous borders and fight terrorists. U.S. special operations forces are on the ground already in Mali and Mauritania, training troops there.

The Sahel is a vast region between the southern edge of the Sahara desert and dense rain forests further south.