Niger Declares Two Days Mourning After 69 People Were Killed

Niger has declared two days of national mourning from today, the 5th of November, after 69 people died in a suspected Islamic insurgent attack.

The attack happened in the south-west of Niger, near the border of Mali.

The victims include the leader of a self-defence militia, a local mayor, and others, as revealed by the Niger government.

The search is still going on for survivors of the attack, although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened on November 2nd, 2021.

The attackers traveled across the border to Mali, and local reports say that they carried their colleagues who died. They took their dead bodies and drove away.

The Ministry of Interior of the country said the Islamic insurgents ambushed a delegation that the mayor of Banibangou was leading in a village about 55km away from the scene of the incident, in the western Tillaberi region.

Islamic insurgents are tagged as unknown armed bandits, and militants who are associated with a local affiliate of the Islamic State group are controlling the area.

Niger has faced jihadist insurgencies on its borders with Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

This year, more than 500 people have been killed in Islamic insurgent attacks in the country

In March, 137 people died during co-ordinated raids on three villages by suspected armed jihadist bandits.