NIAMEY, Niger: “Armed bandits” killed about 20 people earlier this week in a village in Niger’s restive Tillaberi region, which borders Mali, public radio reported on Wednesday.
“The Tillaberi region… was plunged into mourning following an attack perpetrated by armed bandits on Monday May 20, 2024, an attack that unfortunately caused the loss of around 20 people,” said La Voix du Sahel radio station.
The news came a day after the Defence Department said suspected jihadists had killed seven soldiers in a region that has been plagued for years by rebels with links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Niger’s military strongman Abdourahamane Tiani asked his youth minister and government spokesman, Abdramane Amadou, to express sympathy to the Nigerian people and express condolences to the families of the victims, the radio station said.
Tillaberi is located in the vast and volatile “three borders” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where insurgents have carried out attacks for years despite a massive deployment of counter-jihadist forces.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence said its forces had killed “several dozen terrorists” after an attack on a military position in Tillaberi on Monday left seven dead.
Niger is ruled by military leaders who seized power in a coup in July, citing a deteriorating security situation as the reason for the seizure.
Niamey also faces violence from Boko Haram jihadists and their rivals Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) from the southeastern Diffa region near Nigeria.
