Niger declares three days of mourning after mosque attack kills 44

Following the killing of at least 44 people in an attack on a mosque in the southwest of Niger, the country’s government has declared three days of mourning.

The interior ministry said in a statement released on state television on Friday that the victims had been killed in a “savage” armed assault in Kokorou, a rural border town.

Another 13 people were hurt, according to the ministry.

Following the rise of armed fighters linked to the al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) armed groups that took control of north Mali after the 2012 Tuareg rebellion, violence has increased in the Sahel region in recent years.

Since then, it has spread to the neighboring nations of Niger and Burkinabe, as well as to the north of coastal West African nations like Togo and Ghana.

The latest attack, according to Niger’s interior ministry, happened early in the afternoon during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

The attackers also set fire to a nearby market and homes, according to the statement, “The heavily armed terrorists surrounded the mosque with their massacre with unusual cruelty.”

In a statement released late on Friday, the defense ministry attributed the attack to EIGS, an ISIL affiliate.

EIGS did not respond to the claim right away. Al-Qaeda affiliate groups claimed responsibility for previous attacks in Niger.

The government has promised to prosecute and detain the perpetrators.

Civilians are frequently the victims of the violence, and the military-run government of Niger frequently fights armed groups there.

At least 2,400 people have died in Niger since July 2023, according to the non-governmental organization ACLED’s database, which provides information on armed conflict locations and events.

As armed groups attack towns and villages as well as government security outposts across the greater Sahel region, which includes several countries, hundreds of thousands of others have been killed and millions have fled.

Between 2020 and 2023, there were two coups in Mali, two in Burkinabe, and one in Niger as a result of governments’ failure to restore security. Despite regional and international pressure to hold elections, all three remain under military rule.