Western Niger was plunged into mourning on Monday after a brutal attack left 22 people dead, most of them attending a baptism ceremony in Takoubatt village, Tillaberi region.
According to local reports, heavily armed assailants riding motorbikes stormed the gathering, opening fire on villagers. A resident explained that “15 people were killed first at a baptism ceremony in Takoubatt village. The attackers then went to the outskirts of Takoubatt where they killed seven other people.”
The Tillaberi region, which borders Burkina Faso and Mali, has long been plagued by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). Rights activist Maikoul Zodi lamented, “Once again, the Tillaberi region has been struck by barbarism, plunging innocent families into mourning and despair.”
Local broadcaster Elmaestro TV described the event as a “gruesome death toll of 22 innocent people cowardly killed without reason or justification.”
The military leadership of Niger, which seized power in a coup two years ago, continues to struggle against insurgent violence despite heavy troop deployments in the region. Just last week, around 20 soldiers lost their lives in related clashes.
Human Rights Watch has urged the authorities to “do more to protect” civilians, noting that the Islamic State has executed more than 127 villagers and Muslim worshippers in Tillaberi in five separate attacks since March.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit that monitors conflict deaths globally, estimates that about 1,800 people have been killed in attacks in Niger since October 2024, with nearly 75 percent of those deaths occurring in Tillaberi.
Niger, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, all ruled by military juntas, has expelled both French and American military forces previously deployed to assist in counterterrorism operations.
okay.ng reports that the insecurity continues to deepen as insurgent factions expand their influence across the Sahel, leaving civilians most vulnerable to massacres.
