EIGHTEEN CIVILIANS were killed when their transport vehicle came under attack in a part of western Niger frequently targeted by Islamist militants, the government said.
Interior Minister Alkassoum Indatou attributed Sunday's attack in the Tillaberi region, near the border with Mali, to armed bandits, aboard several motorcycles, who have not yet been identified.
He said 13 of the victims were from the village of Foney Ganda and five from the village of Tizegorou.
Local officials have blamed a series of massacres of civilians since last year on Islamic State’s affiliate in West Africa, which along with al-Qaeda-linked militants has been responsible for spiralling violence across the Sahelian countries of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
On Sunday, the US’s yearly counter-terrorism training programme for African forces began in Ivory Coast at a time of upheaval in which Islamist fighters control large areas, coups are on the rise and French forces are winding down.
The training programme, known as Flintlock, will bring together more than 400 soldiers from across West Africa to bolster the skills of forces, some of which are under regular attack by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Those not present included forces from Guinea and two countries worst-hit by Islamist violence, Mali and Burkina Faso. Military juntas have snatched power in those three countries since 2020, raising concerns about a return to West Africa's post-colonial reputation as a coup belt.
Central to this year's training is co-ordination between different forces fighting the same enemy.
A main focus of Flintlock is information sharing. If we can't communicate, we can't work together, said Admiral Jamie Sands, commander of the US Special Operations Command Africa, at the opening ceremony.
Islamist militants roam across large areas of the Sahel, the arid band of terrain south of the Sahara Desert. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been overrun by attacks since 2015 that have killed thousands and uprooted more than 2 million people. Security experts say insurgents have infiltrated coastal countries including Benin and Ivory Coast.
Reuters