070406-N-6901L-018 MARADI, Niger (April 6, 2007) - Nigerien army soldiers from the 322nd Parachute Regiment practice field tactics during combat training facilitated by U.S. Army Soldiers during exercise Flintlock 2007. The multi-national exercise, which is part of the U.S. State Department's Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, is an ongoing and long standing military-to-military relationship between Niger and the U.S. that provides an interactive exchange of military, linguistic and intercultural skills for both. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Larson (RELEASED)
The Nigerien government has announced a three-day period of mourning following a violent assault on a mosque in the southwestern region of the country, which resulted in the deaths of at least 44 individuals.
According to a statement from the interior ministry, which was aired on state television on Friday, the victims were killed in a brutal armed attack in the Fambita area of the rural border town of Kokorou. The ministry also reported that an additional 13 people sustained injuries during the incident.
In recent years, the Sahel region of West Africa has experienced a surge in violence, largely attributed to the emergence of armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), which seized control of territories in northern Mali following the 2012 Tuareg uprising. This violence has since spread to neighboring countries, including Niger and Burkina Faso, and more recently to northern coastal West African nations such as Togo and Ghana.
The interior ministry indicated that the latest attack took place in the early afternoon while worshippers were gathered for a prayer service at the mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. The statement described how the heavily armed assailants surrounded the mosque to execute their attack with extreme brutality, also noting that they set fire to a local market and residential homes.
In a statement released late Friday, the defense ministry attributed the assault to the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS), a branch of ISIL.
EIGS has not yet responded to the allegations. Previous assaults in Niger have been attributed to groups affiliated with al-Qaeda. The government has vowed to track down those responsible and bring them to justice.
The military-led administration in Niger is engaged in ongoing confrontations with armed factions in the area, with civilians frequently caught in the crossfire.
According to ACLED, a non-governmental organization that tracks armed conflict data, at least 2,400 individuals have lost their lives in Niger since July 2023. In the broader Sahel region, which includes multiple countries, hundreds of thousands have died, and millions have been displaced as armed groups target towns, villages, and government security installations.
The inability of governments to restore order has led to two coups in Mali, two in Burkina Faso, and one in Niger from 2020 to 2023. All three nations continue to be governed by military regimes despite regional and international calls for elections. Following these coups, authorities have shifted their focus away from traditional Western allies, seeking military assistance from Russia instead.
