Niger Declares Three Days of Mourning After Deadly Terrorist Attack
Niger’s government has announced three days of national mourning following a brutal attack by militants that left 44 civilians dead in the country’s southwest. The assault, attributed to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), occurred in the rural town of Kokorou, according to a report by AFP.
The attack targeted a mosque in the Fambita quarter during a prayer service, as confirmed by the interior ministry in a statement broadcast on state television. The ministry described the incident as “savage,” noting that 13 others were injured in the violence.
“The heavily armed terrorists surrounded the mosque to carry out their massacre with unusual cruelty,” the statement said. The assailants also set fire to a local market and nearby homes, further escalating the devastation.
The government vowed to pursue the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The attack took place in a region near the borders of Burkina Faso and Mali, an area long plagued by terrorist activities linked to groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda.
Niger’s military, under the junta-led government, has been actively engaged in counter-terrorism operations in the region. However, civilians frequently bear the brunt of the violence.
According to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), a non-governmental organization tracking armed conflicts, at least 2,400 people have been killed in Niger since July 2023.
The latest attack underscores the ongoing security challenges facing Niger and the broader Sahel region, where militant groups continue to destabilize communities and inflict widespread suffering.
