Mosque attack in western Niger leaves 10 dead

The attack took place Monday in the village of Tizigorou in a region where Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso meet, Anadolu Agency reported.

“The assailants, riding on motorcycles, attacked a mosque during prayer time in the prefecture of Banibangou in the Tillaberi region. The victims were praying,” Issoufou Katambe told the media.

Since early this year, attacks by suspected ISIL-related terrorists have intensified in the area around Banibangou and nearby towns in the region.

Targeting civilians and the army, they are blamed on ISIL terrorists in the Greater Sahara and an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 500 deaths have been recorded, according to official data, and thousands have been displaced fleeing the violence.

Meanwhile, local authorities on Wednesday reinstated a ban on motorbikes in several parts of the Tillaberi region following persistent security threats.

The ban, first imposed last year to combat militant attacks carried out by gunmen on motorbikes, had been lifted on Sept. 1 following a relative containment of the security situation by government forces.

The Tillaberi region is facing a major food crisis, with nearly 600,000 people facing food insecurity due to insecurity and recurrent attacks by suspected elements of non-state armed groups targeting farmers and civilians, according to the UN.

RHM/