Armed attackers kill 16 civilians near Niger's border with Mali

Armed attackers killed 16 civilians in western Niger this week when they ambushed a convoy of trucks near the Malian border, local sources told AFP on Sunday.

The ambush occurred in the Banibangou district of Tillaberi, a region where Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists are said to operate.

"Five trucks carrying passengers and goods were stopped on Friday afternoon. The armed attackers executed 16 men and spared the women," a Banibangou resident told AFP.

The trucks had left the capital, Niamey, and were heading towards Tizigorou, he said, and the attack happened in a "desert area" not far from there.

Vehicles stolen

They were on their way to a weekly market and "only the women were left alive", a resident of Tondikiwindi, a neighbouring district, told AFP.

Among the 16 victims were several "local traders", the Banibangou resident said.

The attackers, whose identity was not immediately known, stole three vehicles loaded with goods and burned another, he added.

The attack comes after several months of relative calm in the Banibangou area, where terrorists carried out a wave of deadly attacks on civilians between 2021 and 2023 – in villages, fields, along roads and even in mosques.

Civilian support

On Friday, Niger's government announced it would allow the creation of civilian auxiliaries to support the army against terrorist groups.

"We have succeeded in stabilising the security situation. Our brave defence and security forces have control on the ground, despite the attacks our country has suffered," President Abdourahamane Tchiani said last week.

In the southeast, Niger also faces attacks from Boko Haram terrorists.