A security source said that “about a hundred civilians” were killed during the violence in the “Tillaberi” region located in the border triangle between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
This region, located on the African coast, is constantly witnessing bloody terrorist attacks, launched in particular by militant groups linked to the extremist organization ISIS.
A civil society activist in Tillaberi reported that the violence stemmed from a “cycle of reprisals” between nomadic herders and locals in the area.
“Violent clashes” took place at the end of April and early May between the local population and nomadic shepherds in the villages and towns bordering the Niger River, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries and led to the flight of thousands of people, according to local sources.
A local journalist explained that these clashes came after “several assassinations” of villagers by people suspected of being terrorists, stealing cattle and “demanding a tax.”
Niger, during the mandate of President Mohamed Bazoum, launched large-scale operations against terrorists in Tillaberi, with the support of French soldiers.
A high-ranking official in the “Tillaberi” region said that the violence affected four districts and began “on August 15 at sunset (…) and ended at noon on August 16.”
A local source reported that four people were killed and 26 others were wounded in “Euro”, one of the affected districts, as a result of the use of “blade weapons and firearms.”
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