At least 30 civilians have lost their lives and five others have been injured in attacks carried out Thursday against several villages in the Birni N’Konni department, in the Tahoua region of western Niger, according to official sources.
According to the regional governor, Colonel Souleymane Amadou Moussa, the attackers, who arrived on motorcycles and were heavily armed, also stole nearly 500 head of livestock before withdrawing toward a neighboring country, where their rear base is believed to be located. He stated that the area is now under the control of defense and security forces, calling on the population to resume their activities.
The attacks targeted isolated localities located in a mountainous area near the Nigerian border, a zone regularly affected by insecurity. Witnesses confirm that the armed men acted quickly before retreating toward Nigeria.
The Tahoua region remains a hotspot for recurring violence, combining actions by jihadist groups and armed banditry operating on both sides of the border. It is also a corridor for illicit trafficking, including fuel, drugs, and counterfeit pharmaceutical products.
These attacks come amid a deteriorating security context. In early March, a drone military base at Tahoua airport was targeted in what was described as a terrorist attack, while a week earlier a checkpoint was attacked, killing a customs officer and several civilians.
According to the NGO ACLED, the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS) group is intensifying its activities in the area, particularly through ambushes against Nigerien forces. More broadly, Niger has been facing persistent jihadist violence for several years, both in the west of the country and in the southeast, where Boko Haram and ISWAP operate.
In response to this situation, the military authorities have recently announced the upcoming establishment of civilian auxiliaries tasked with supporting security forces in defending territories.