Enlarge image
Members of the Sahara branch of the jihadist militia Islamic State (ISGS) in 2019: Terrorists have been sowing violence in unstable Niger for years
Photo: HO / AFP
Niger is repeatedly the target of bloody attacks.
Civilians are increasingly being targeted by terrorists.
Suspected jihadists have now killed around 60 members of a civil militia.
According to the authorities on Thursday, the attack occurred on Tuesday in the Tillaberi region in the west of the country.
15 people survived the attack, nine more have been missing since then
The motorized members of the citizen militia were attacked in Adab-Dab around 55 kilometers northwest of Banibangou by heavily armed, also motorized members of the Sahara branch of the Islamic State jihadist militia (ISGS).
According to local information, residents of several villages had formed a civil militia to protect field workers who are regularly attacked by armed men.
Since the beginning of the year, attacks by suspected jihadists on civilians have been increasing in the area around Banibangou and the surrounding communities in the Tillaberi region.
The unstable 100,000 square kilometer region is located in the triangle between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where armed groups with links to the terror network al-Qaeda and the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) have been sowing deadly violence since 2017.
Jihadists in Niger appear to be killing more children
In Niger, with its around 23 million inhabitants, there are repeated attacks, especially in the border regions with Mali.
The government has little control in the desert-like expanses outside the cities and the capital Niamey - which is not only exploited by jihadist groups, but also by criminal networks such as people smugglers.
According to Amnesty International, jihadist groups are also increasingly targeting children.
A growing number of minors are being killed or recruited by jihadists, the human rights organization said in a report published in September.
Armed groups have repeatedly attacked schools in the Tillabéri region in the west of the country, it said.
asc / AFP
