A jihadi group's attack on a western Niger village killed 44 civilians, according to the Interior Ministry, reports UNB.
The attack occurred on Friday afternoon in Fambita, a village within the rural commune of Kokorou, near the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso, the ministry stated. It attributed the attack to the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS).
The Associated Press was unable to contact EIGS for comment.
"Around 2 p.m., while Muslim worshippers were engaged in Friday prayers, these heavily armed terrorists surrounded the mosque and carried out their massacre with exceptional brutality," the statement said. The gunmen also set fire to a market and homes before withdrawing, it added.
According to the ministry, at least 44 civilians were killed, while 13 others sustained severe injuries. It declared three days of national mourning.
For more than a decade, Niger and its neighbouring countries, Burkina Faso and Mali, have struggled against an insurgency waged by jihadi groups, some of which are affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas expelled French forces and sought security assistance from Russian mercenary units. The three countries have pledged to enhance their cooperation through the establishment of a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States.
However, analysts say the security situation in the Sahel—a vast region on the edge of the Sahara Desert—has deteriorated significantly since the juntas took control, with a surge in attacks and an increasing number of civilian casualties inflicted by both Islamic militants and government forces.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
