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44 Civilians Killed in Jihadi Attack in Niger
A jihadi assault on a village in western Niger has left 44 civilians dead, according to the country's Interior Ministry. The attack occurred on Friday afternoon in Fambita, a village in the rural commune of Kokorou, located near the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso. The ministry attributed the assault to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
The attack took place around 2 p.m. while Muslim worshippers were engaged in Friday prayers. The gunmen, heavily armed, surrounded the mosque and carried out a massacre with brutal efficiency. In addition to the killings, the attackers set fire to a local market and several homes before retreating. Thirteen others were injured in the attack, some critically. In response, the government declared three days of national mourning.
For over a decade, Niger and its neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali, have been plagued by an insurgency led by jihadi groups, many of which are linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. In the wake of recent military coups in these countries, the ruling juntas expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary groups for security assistance. The three nations have formed a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States, to enhance regional cooperation.
Despite these efforts, analysts warn that the security situation in the Sahel has worsened under the junta governments, with a sharp increase in attacks and civilian casualties caused by both militants and government forces.