Attack in Niger: death toll rises to more than 100

The number of victims after an attack on two Nigerian villages is on the rise: the government now speaks of more than 100 dead and at least 20 injured. No one has yet confessed to the attack.

The death toll following the attack in Niger, West Africa, has risen to more than 100. Prime Minister Birgi Rafini announced this after visiting the two affected villages near the border with Mali. So far, no group has acknowledged the attack. According to Nigerien Interior Minister Alkache Alhada, at least 20 people were injured in the attack.

Villages attacked on the border with Mali

The attack occurred on Saturday in the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye, near the border with Mali. The attack is believed to have been in retaliation for the killing of two fighters by villagers, the interior minister said.

Young people from the two villages had tried to form a self-defense group in the disputed area. The gunmen are believed to have come from neighboring Mali on motorcycles. Nigerian authorities are following them, the interior minister said. Alhada called the attackers “jihadists.”

Attacks again and again

Attacks continue to occur in Niger. Numerous terrorist groups and criminal gangs are active in the West African state, especially in the border areas with neighboring states such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad. In mid-December alone, the Boko Haram terrorist militia set fire to hundreds of houses in a Niger village and killed several people.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the main transit countries for African immigrants to Europe. This is why the desert state is the EU’s most important partner in the Sahel region in the fight against illegal immigration and the spread of terrorism in West Africa.