Reports indicate that insurgents have killed 22 people in an attack on a village in western Niger near the border with Mali.
The Sunday attack targeted the village of Motogatta in the vast Tillaberi region where Niger meets Mali and Burkina Faso, and where insurgents groups have been active for years.
“Unfortunately, 22 people died in the attack, including some self-defence militiamen,” a local elected official said.
The toll was confirmed by a resident of a nearby town. The official said that the attackers arrived on motorbikes in the village around 4 pm
“They started shooting, killing people on the spot,” he said.
Niger grapples with dual insurgencies: one emanating from a prolonged conflict in neighbouring Nigeria to the southeast, and another originating from militants crossing over from Mali and Burkina Faso in the west.
The military coup on July 26, which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, was justified by citing the worsening security conditions.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the coup leader, claimed on December 17 that the security situation was gradually stabilising due to the army’s successful efforts in suppressing unrest.
