A brutal assault by over 200 gunmen riding motorbikes on a Nigerien army base near Mali’s border has left 34 soldiers dead and 14 others wounded, exposing once again the escalating security crisis facing Niger’s military junta.

The Thursday attack targeted the base in Banibangou, a volatile town near the border zone shared with Mali and Burkina Faso.

Niger’s defence ministry described the attackers as “mercenaries” who arrived aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes.

"This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against [the town of] Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes," a statement from the ministry read on state television said.

The army reportedly responded with force, killing “dozens of terrorists” in the ensuing battle. Search operations are ongoing in and around Banibangou to pursue the attackers.

The deadly assault comes as Niger's military faces growing scrutiny for its failure to stop such militant violence—one of the reasons it cited when overthrowing former president Mohamed Bazoum in a 2023 coup.

Banibangou sits within the Sahel region’s notorious "three borders" zone, where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso converge—a known hotspot for Islamist militant groups.

The area has become a theatre of recurring attacks from jihadist factions linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Niger, along with Burkina Faso and Mali, has broken away from traditional Western military partnerships.

The junta expelled French and US troops, opting instead to strengthen ties with Russia and Turkey in its ongoing security realignment.

Despite this shift and the formation of a joint regional alliance among the three countries to counter the jihadist threat, attacks have persisted across the region.