An ambush carried out by a “terrorist group” claimed the lives of 21 Nigerien soldiers near the country’s border with Burkina Faso on Tuesday, according to a statement from Niger’s ruling military junta broadcast on national television.

The statement did not identify which group was responsible for the attack. Niger continues to grapple with a severe security crisis, involving several armed factions.

Just last week, the rebel group known as the Patriotic Liberation Front launched an attack on a China-backed pipeline and threatened further assaults unless the $400 million agreement with China is canceled. The group, led by former rebel leader Salah Mahmoud, resumed armed conflict after the junta overthrew the democratically elected government in a coup last year.

Niger, alongside neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, is also facing an ongoing conflict with insurgents linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which has been escalating over the past decade in the Sahel region.

According to the United Nations, the violence claimed thousands of lives last year and displaced more than 2 million people.

Mali and Burkina Faso, both led by military juntas after two coups each since 2020, have expelled French forces from their territories and turned to Russian mercenaries in their attempts to combat Islamist insurgents.