Doundou Chefou Explained

Ibrahim Doundou Chefou is a Nigerien militant and a commander in the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

Background

Chefou is believed to have led the ambush of a convoy of U.S. and Nigerien troops in October 2017 that left four American and five Nigerien soldiers dead. Formerly a Fulani herder in the Niger-Mali border region, he initially took up arms to battle Tuareg cattle thieves.^{[1] [2]} According to The New York Times, U.S. troops were attempting to locate Chefou in October 2017 when at least fifty militants purportedly led by him attacked them near the village of Tongo Tongo in southwestern Niger.^[3]

Chefou is believed by African officials to be one of the main propagators of unrest in the Sahel region. Niger's defense minister labeled him a "terrorist" and a "bandit".^[4]

See also

• Tongo Tongo ambush
• Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
• Islam in Niger
• Fulani herdsmen
• Niger Armed Forces

Notes and References

1. Web site: Reuters . How a Herdsman Became the Jihadist Who Killed US Soldiers in Niger . VOA . 2017-11-12 . 2018-02-24.
2. Yang . Mackenzie . December 11, 2017 . 190 . 24 . . 2017-12-11 . 2018-02-24.
3. Web site: Callimachi . Rukmini . Cooper . Helene . Schmitt . Eric . Blinder . Alan . Gibbons-Neff . Thomas . 'An Endless War': Why 4 U.S. Soldiers Died in a Remote African Desert . The New York Times . 2018-02-20 . 2018-02-24.
4. Web site: How a Herdsman Became the Jihadist Who Killed US Soldiers in Niger . . 12 November 2017 . voanews.com .