The UN condemns the killing of a hundred civilians in western Niger

Image of the town of Chombangú, in the Nigerian region of Tilláberi, this Sunday.STR / EFE

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has condemned the attacks attributed to jihadists on Saturday against two towns located in western Niger that resulted in the death of at least a hundred civilians, which is the largest jihadist massacre against civilians in the Sahel.

"The Secretary General trusts that the Nigerian authorities will spare no effort in quickly identifying and bringing to justice those responsible for this atrocious act and increasing the protection of civilians," said the Secretary General's spokesman on Monday. Stéphane Dujarric.

"Guterres reaffirms the solidarity and support of the UN to the Government and the people of Niger in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime, and has extended his deep condolences to the families of the victims," ​​he added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain has issued a statement in which it has also condemned the attacks and conveyed "its sincere condolences to the Government and the Nigerien people", as well as to the families of the victims, in addition to wishing a "prompt recovery of the injured ”.

"Spain continues to support all efforts aimed at fighting the scourge of terrorism in the Sahel region and hopes that this type of act does not go unpunished," the Government remarked.

For its part, the Niger Ministry of the Interior has declared three days of national mourning.

The Army commander in charge of the affected region, Mamane Sani, has revealed that the Government has announced plans to increase the security presence in the area after the attacks, according to the German news agency DPA.

Thus, he has stated that the authorities have the objective of permanently deploying a company to increase operations and patrols, given that the Government has little control of the desert areas, beyond the cities and population centers, holes that are exploited by the jihadists.

The attacks were carried out against the villages of Chombangú and Zarumdareye, near the border with Mali.

The mayor of the town of Tondikiwindi on which the two villages administratively depend, explained on Sunday that there are 70 dead in Chombangú and 30 in Zarumdareye, according to Radio France Internationale.

The mayor of Tondikiwindi has detailed that the attacks and the killing of civilians came in retaliation after another previous assault attempt that was rejected by youths organized as self-defense forces, who killed two of the assailants.

An official delegation led by the Nigerian Prime Minister, Brigi Rafini, and the Minister of the Interior, Alkach Alhada, traveled to the area on Sunday to "morally support the population."

For his part, the country's president, Mahamadou Issoufou, described the attacks as "cowards and barbarians."

This region is known as the region of the three borders due to the proximity of the Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali demarcations and is a common target of jihadist groups.

In recent months there has been a rebound in these attacks, mainly the work of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Boko Haram and its split, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA).

Boko Haram and ISWA have focused their attacks on the Lake Chad basin, while ISGS and the Islam and Muslims Support Group (JNIM), a subsidiary of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda in Mali, have done so on the border they make up. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.