NIAMEY, March 22 – At least 44 civilians were killed and 13 others seriously wounded in an attack on a mosque in southwestern Niger on Friday, according to the country’s defense ministry. The assault occurred during afternoon prayers in the village of Fombita, located in the rural commune of Kokorou, near the volatile tri-border region between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
The ministry attributed the attack to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), an affiliate of the Islamic State group. The heavily armed militants surrounded the mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, carrying out what the ministry described as a “massacre of rare cruelty.”
After targeting the mosque, the attackers set fire to a nearby market and several houses before retreating. Troops were dispatched to the scene, where they confirmed the provisional death toll of 44 civilians. The 13 injured individuals were severely wounded. In response to the attack, the Nigerien government declared three days of national mourning.
The assault is part of the ongoing jihadist insurgency that has plagued West Africa’s Sahel region. The conflict, which began in Mali after Islamist militants seized territory in 2012, has spread into neighboring countries, including Niger and Burkina Faso. Recently, the violence has expanded into coastal West African nations such as Togo and Ghana.
The insurgency has caused significant loss of life and displacement across the region, while escalating instability has led to military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023. These countries remain under military rule despite pressure from regional and international actors to restore civilian governments. Amid the unrest, the military governments have turned to Russia for military support, distancing themselves from traditional Western allies.
