Armed bandits killed around 20 people in a village in Niger’s restive Tillaberi region earlier this week, according to public radio, Report informs referring to AFP.
The news came a day after the defense ministry said suspected jihadists had killed seven soldiers in the region plagued for years by rebels linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
“The Tillaberi region… was plunged into mourning following an attack perpetrated by armed bandits on May 20, 2024” on the village of Djambala, La Voix du Sahel radio station said.
The attack “unfortunately caused the loss of around 20 people”, it added.
Niger’s military strongman Abdourahamane Tiani has asked his youth minister and government spokesman Abdramane Amadou to “express the compassion of the Nigerien people and present condolences to the victims’ families”, the radio station said.
Tillaberi is in the vast and unstable “three borders” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where insurgents have carried out attacks for years despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces.