Suspected terrorists kill more than 30 people in Niger

A suspected terrorist attack has killed at least 31 civilians in a village in western Niger near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, local sources said on Tuesday.

The suspected terrorists struck on Sunday in a village lying in the Tillaberi region, located in the tri-border area – a flashpoint zone where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.

For nearly a decade, terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda have launched deadly attacks in the area.

"On Sunday, armed people killed 31 of our residents in Bosiye; 30 died on the spot, and one of the five wounded succumbed at a health centre," a resident told AFP.

'Odious and barbaric act'

A local student union also confirmed the toll in a statement, saying it was "deeply shocked and saddened" by "this odious and barbaric act."

Security officials were yet to issue a formal statement as of the time of publishing.

In September, the mayor of Gorouol, the local area where Bosiye is located, who had been appointed by Niger's transitional government, was killed in an ambush.

The Tillaberi region became the "deadliest region across central Sahel" in 2025, according to ACLED, an NGO that monitors conflicts.