ABIDJAN: Armed attackers killed 16 civilians in western Niger this week when they ambushed a convoy of trucks near the Malian border, local sources told AFP on Sunday.
The ambush occurred in the Banibangou district of Tillaberi, a region where fighters from Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS) and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) are said to operate.
"Five trucks carrying passengers and goods were stopped on Friday afternoon. The armed attackers executed 16 men and spared the women," a Banibangou resident told AFP.
The trucks had left the capital, Niamey, and were heading towards Tizigorou, he said, and the attack happened in a "desert area" not far from there.
They were on their way to a weekly market and "only the women were left alive", a resident of Tondikiwindi, a neighbouring district, told AFP.
Among the 16 victims were several "wealthy local traders", the Banibangou resident said.
The attackers stole three vehicles loaded with goods and burned another, he added.
The attack comes after several months of relative calm in the Banibangou area, where suspected jihadists carried out a wave of deadly assaults on civilians between 2021 and 2023 -- in villages, fields, along roads and even in mosques.
Numerous poorly equipped, self‑defence militias have been formed in villages to fight armed groups.
On Friday, Niger's military rulers announced the forthcoming creation of civilian auxiliaries to support the army against jihadist groups.
Despite a large military deployment, the junta that has ruled Niger since a July 2023 coup has struggled to contain violence, particularly in Tillaberi.
"We have succeeded in stabilising the security situation. Our brave defence and security forces have control on the ground, despite the attacks our country has suffered," junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani said last week.
In the southeast, Niger also faces attacks from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).