NIAMEY: The government of Niger has declared three days of national mourning following a deadly attack on a mosque in the Fambita quarter of Kokorou, where 44 civilians were killed by suspected Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) terrorists.
According to the interior ministry, the attack took place in the afternoon as worshippers gathered for prayers. Another 13 people were injured in what was described as a “savage massacre.”
The statement, broadcast on state television, said that heavily armed militants surrounded the mosque and carried out the killings with unusual brutality. The attackers also set fire to a local market and nearby homes before fleeing. The ministry vowed to track down and prosecute those responsible.
The attack occurred in Niger’s southwest, near the borders of Burkina Faso and Mali, a region long plagued by jihadist violence linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
Niger’s military-led government regularly engages in counterterrorism operations in the area, but civilians frequently fall victim to the ongoing violence.
Since July 2023, at least 2,400 people have been killed in Niger due to jihadist attacks, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
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