Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a group of civilians returning from market day in a volatile corner of Niger, leaving at least 58 people dead and then burning granaries to the ground, the government has said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s massacres, though extremists belonging to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara group are known to be active in the Tillaberi region where the villages were attacked.
The announcement was read on Niger state television on Tuesday evening by government spokesman Abdourahmane Zakaria, who declared three days of national mourning for the victims.
The mass killings underscore the enormous security challenges facing Niger’s new president, Mohamed Bazoum, who won the election in late February to succeed outgoing leader Mahamadou Issoufou.
Earlier, a local resident had told AFP that the raids began with an attack on a bus travelling to Chinedogar, in which “around 20 people were killed.”
Another resident said those killed had been shopping at Banibangou, a major market town just a few kilometres (miles) from the Malian border.
“Armed bandits” then attacked villages at around 6 pm, killing about 30 people, a security source said.