At Least 38 Killed in Ambush on Villagers Heading to Market in Western Niger
At least 38 people were killed on November 12 when unidentified gunmen ambushed villagers travelling to a weekly market in Niger's western Tillabéri region, according to local sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The residents of Tillim village were travelling under the escort of a local self-defence group toward the town of Téra when the gunmen struck.
A former elected official told AFP that 37 people were killed at the scene and that another injured person died of wounds on November 13, bringing the toll to at least 38. The dead included 11 members of the self-defence escort, 20 men and seven women, and residents said children were also among the casualties. Several wounded survivors were taken to a nearby hospital.
The attack took place between Téra and Tillim, near Niger's borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. The Tillabéri region has long been hit by attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. According to the conflict monitor ACLED, the region was the deadliest in the central Sahel for targeted civilians last year, and United Nations figures indicate that close to half of Niger's roughly 450,000 registered displaced people live in Tillabéri.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack in the reporting available on November 13, and there was no immediate statement from Niger's government. Because the toll rests on local sources and has not been confirmed by officials, the figures may change as more information becomes available. (Source: AFP)
Source: AFP
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：尼日尔河上的独木舟（资料图，摄于首都 Niamey 附近）。Dominik Schwarz 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0 授权，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A pirogue on the Niger River near Niamey, Niger (file photo). By Dominik Schwarz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
