No fewer than thirty-nine people, including children, have been killed in two separate attacks in western Niger near the border with Burkina Faso, the Nigerien defense ministry confirmed on Saturday.
The attacks occurred in the communities of Libiri and Kokorou in the Tera border region, a hotspot for violent jihadist activity.
According to the ministry’s statement, “21 people were killed in Libiri and 18 in Kokorou” during the operations that took place from December 12 to 14.
“These barbaric acts targeted defenseless civilian populations, carried out by criminals cornered by constant operations by defense and security forces,” the statement said, without specifying the exact dates of the attacks.
The Tera region, located along the volatile borders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, has long been a stronghold for jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
These groups have waged a deadly insurgency, leaving the borderlands in a state of continuous unrest.
Earlier this month, on December 7, gunmen killed 21 civilians in an attack on a goods convoy, local sources reported.
This was followed by reports of a major attack in Chatoumane on December 11, where jihadists reportedly killed over 90 soldiers and 40 civilians, according to the BBC and RFI.
Niger’s military junta, however, dismissed these reports as “baseless assertions” and accused international media of spreading misinformation.
The government has since suspended BBC radio for three months, adding to the growing list of Western media outlets sanctioned by the junta since it took power in a July 2023 coup.
Niger continues to struggle with escalating jihadist violence despite ongoing military operations. The region’s porous borders and difficult terrain provide a haven for militants who have repeatedly targeted both security forces and civilians.
The government has called for intensified security measures and international support to address the growing threats along its borders.
Meanwhile, humanitarian concerns mount as violence displaces thousands of civilians, leaving them vulnerable in an already unstable region.
39 killed in attacks in western Niger, near Burkina Faso border