Dozens of people are feared dead when gunmen launched a deadly attack near the Niger-Nigeria border

At least 30 villagers were killed following a series of coordinated attacks in western Niger Republic, near the border with Nigeria, authorities confirmed on Monday.

The attack, which occurred last Thursday in the Tahoua region, was revealed by the region’s governor, Souleymane Amadou Moussa, during a broadcast on state radio.

“Thirty people were killed and at least 500 heads of livestock were taken away” by the attackers in a series of attacks on Thursday, said Tahoua governor Col. Souleymane Amadou Moussa.

Although the identity of the attackers remains unclear, the region has long been hit by violent attacks linked to jihadist groups and cross-border bandits.

The governor further revealed that the perpetrators fled the location after the attack.

He said the attackers “withdrew to neighboring countries where their rear bases are located”.

Tahoua, known for its proximity to Nigeria, is also notorious as a transit hub for illicit activities, including the smuggling of fuel, drugs and counterfeit drugs.

After a visit to the affected communities on Sunday, Moussa assured that security forces had regained control of the area.

Local reports indicated that five additional residents suffered injuries in attacks targeting three remote villages in the mountainous Birni N’Koni area.

Eyewitness reports described how the attackers stormed villages on motorbikes, unleashing violence before retreating across the border.

Also read: Tuggar resigns as foreign minister to pursue Bauchi governorship bid

“The attackers came heavily armed on motorbikes, killed at least 30 people and returned to Nigeria,” a resident of Zata, one of the villages attacked, told a local radio station.

This latest violence comes amid increasing insecurity in the region. Earlier in March, several soldiers were injured in an attempted attack on a military drone base at Tahoua airport, which was repulsed by government forces.

Just days earlier, a customs officer and at least three civilians were killed in another attack on a checkpoint in N’Koni department, and local sources attributed the incident to “terrorists”.

Security analysts have linked many recent attacks in the region to extremist groups such as ISIS in the Sahel, which has claimed responsibility for several ambushes targeting Nigerien troops, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Since the military takeover of Niger in 2023, the ruling junta has faced increasing challenges in curbing violence, which has continued in several regions of the country since 2017.

The western part of Niger, especially the region bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, remains a center of jihadist activity involving groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, the southeast continues to grapple with attacks by Boko Haram insurgents and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province—both of which also operate across the border in Nigeria, where a protracted insurgency has been going on for more than a decade.