Niger: 22 villageois tués par des hommes armés dans l'ouest
Twenty-two villagers were killed on Monday in Niger in attacks carried out by armed men riding motorcycles in the Tillabéri region (west), near Mali, local sources reported on Tuesday.
Niger is facing attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization in its western part, which the junta that came to power two years ago is struggling to contain.
On Monday morning, "armed men" on motorcycles "opened fire on villagers" in the town of Takoubatt during a baptism ceremony, killing 15 people, a resident of the neighboring commune of Tondikiwindi told AFP.
"The attackers then went to the area around Takoubatt where they killed seven other people," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Local media outlet El Maestro TV confirmed a "macabre toll of 22 innocent people cowardly killed without reason or basis."
Despite a massive deployment of the army in Tillabéri, a region close to Burkina Faso and Mali, violence attributed to jihadists continues, targeting civilians and soldiers alike.
Niger and its neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali, also led by the military and united within a confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), have set up a unified force of 5,000 men to fight against "terrorist groups."
The three Sahelian countries, which claim to have a sovereignist policy, have driven out the French and American armies which were fighting with them against jihadism and have moved closer to Russia in particular.
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