2 Indians killed, one missing in Niger: What is happening in the West African nation?

Indian Express

3 days ago

Two Indian migrant workers were killed in the West African country of Niger on Tuesday (July 15), and another was abducted after a terror attack on their worksite, officials said.
One of those who died was Ganesh Karmali, 39, from Jharkhand's Bokaro district. An activist from Jharkhand who has been working on the repatriation of the bodies told The Indian Express that the other man had been identified only as Krishnan from a southern Indian state.
The abducted worker has been identified as Ranjeet Singh, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. 'The Chief Minister has expressed concern over the abduction of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban, in Niger. He urges the Hon'ble EAM @DrSJaishankar and #MEAIndia to urgently intervene to secure Ranjeet's safe and swift return,' a post on X by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Office said on July 20.
The Indian Embassy in Niger said the Mission, in the capital city of Niamey, was in touch with local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains and ensure the safe release of the abducted Indian. It also advised all Indians in Niger to maintain vigilance.
How many Indians are known to be in the country, and what is the prevailing political situation there? We explain.
According to the Union Ministry of External Affairs, around 150 Indians are currently in Niger. They are mostly engaged in the hospitality/service/business sectors.
This presents a decline from 2023, when around 250 Indians were in the country.
The Associated Press reported that foreigners are increasingly becoming targets of armed groups in Niger. Several have been kidnapped this year, including an Austrian woman who has lived in Niger as an aid worker for more than 20 years, a Swiss woman seized from her home in April and five Indian workers, also in April.
In its modern history, Niger received independence from French colonial rule in 1960. For a majority of its post-independence era, it has seen single-party rule, military coups and limited space for the survival of democratic governments. Bazoum Mohamed's 2021 victory in the presidential election marked the country's first transition from one democratically elected president to another.
But it was short-lived, and Niger again saw a military coup in 2023 led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who was officially sworn in as the president in March this year. He is supposed to serve for a transitional period of five years.
Even before the recent political upheaval, the Sahel region (which Niger is a part of) was facing problems like climate change, poverty and terrorism. Lying to the south of the Sahara desert, it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, including countries such as Nigeria, Senegal and Chad.
It is also among the youngest regions of the world, with about 64% of the population under the age of 25.
In some cases, the rise of terrorism has been cited in many countries as a justification for coups. Niger's western neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, also saw coups in 2022 and 2020, respectively.
The AP also cited the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project as noting that June was one of the country's deadliest months on record. Islamic State-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, the latter being where Indians were killed. More than 100 civilians were killed in the exchange of fire.
What complicates the existing issues is the presence of international actors. In an article for Foreign Policy in 2020, Samuel Ramani, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, wrote, 'Instead of taking constructive steps to address the array of challenges facing the Sahel, great powers and regional institutions are exacerbating the region's problems.'
'Due to their intense focus on geostrategic competition and willingness to equate authoritarianism with stability, great powers such as France, the United States, Russia, and China, have actually perpetuated conditions, such as corruption and fragile state institutions, that contribute to rising political violence in the Sahel,' he added.
One example is the Russian Wagner Group, which has supplied mercenaries to the region. On March 23 last year, Malian and Wagner Group soldiers launched a five-day attack on a border town to 'root out Islamist militants, killing more than three hundred civilians', according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to a BBC report, the regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) also imposed 'crippling sanctions' on Niger after 2023, such as border closures and a no-fly zone for all commercial flights. However, in January, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formally left the grouping.
Historically, India and Niger had limited exchanges in terms of trade, but that has changed in recent years. The volume of trade has grown from around $95 million in 2018-19 to $203 million in 2022-23, and while Indian exports composed a major share seven years ago, of late the balance of trade is in Niger's favour.
The main items being exported from Niger to India are Gum Arabic, Resins and other Vegetable saps and extracts, semi-precious stones, Oil seeds (Sesame), misc. grains, goat skins. etc. India has also extended Lines of Credit to Niger, for the construction of infrastructure and community projects.
In 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the country.