2007 Tezerzaït attack

2007 battle of the Taureg rebellion 2007 Tezerzaït attack Tezirzaït, Niger June 22, 2007 Tuareg rebellion (2007–2009) MNJ victory MNJ gains control of the Tezerzaït base Niger Niger Niger Movement for Justice 87 ~100 15 killed43 injured72 POWs Unknown On June 22, 2007, the Niger Movement for Justice attacked Nigerien government positions in Tezirzaït, Niger. The battle was the first major incident in the 2007–2009 Tuareg rebellion. Background The Niger Movement for Justice was formed in February 2007 by Tuaregs in the rural, northern areas of Niger in tandem with Malian Tuareg movements led by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga.Keenan Jeremy 2008 Uranium Goes Critical in Niger: Tuareg Rebellionsthreaten Sahelian Conflagration https://www.jstor.org/stable/20406532 Review of African Political Economy 35 117 449–466 10.1080/03056240802411107 20406532 0305-6244 10.1080/03056240802411107 free The MNJ was created as a response to heavy French and Western mining in Tuareg lands, and MNJ leaders desired more uranium mining revenue be directed to the impoverished Tuareg-inhabited regions.POLGREEN LYDIA Battle in a Poor Land for Riches Beneath the Soil https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2008/12/15/battle-in-poor-land-for/25976943007/ 2024-04-16 The Ledger en-US The MNJ's first attack on February 8 was in the town of Iferouane, which solidified the group's existence. Attack Prior to the attack, eighty-seven Nigerien soldiers were present at the base in Tezerzaït, which lies at the base of Mount Tamgak in the Aïr Mountains in northern Niger.RFI - Attaque contre une garnison http://www1.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/090/article_53181.asp 2024-04-16 www1.rfi.fr The MNJ stated that the attack was a response to Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja's statements denying the existence of a Tuareg rebellion in the north. Around this time, three older Tuareg men had been kidnapped and murdered by Nigerien soldiers several weeks prior to the attack, prompting anger in Tuareg communities. Fifteen Nigerien soldiers were killed in the attack, and seventy-two were taken hostage, forty-three of whom were injured. Around a hundred MNJ rebels and Tuareg fighters participated in the attack. A captured Nigerien officer then led MNJ fighters to the grave of the three old men immediately following the attack.RFI - Les rebelles font appel à la Croix-Rouge http://www1.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/090/article_53232.asp 2024-04-16 www1.rfi.fr Aftermath Following the attack, the MNJ engaged in talks with the Red Cross in returning the injured Nigerien soldiers. The Nigerien government declared a state of emergency in August 2007 after MNJ attacks escalated in the region, especially around the Tchigozerine coal mine and uranium mining facilities owned by foreign companies. The MNJ also managed to control the Tezerzait base following the attack. References Category:Tuareg rebellions Category:Attacks in Africa in 2007 Category:Battles in 2007 Category:Battles involving Niger Category:June 2007 in Africa Category:2007 in Niger Category:Attacks on military installations in 2007 Category:Attacks in Niger Category:Attacks on government buildings and structures in Africa Category:Agadez Region