Niger: Armed group kills 5 officers, no group claims responsibility

At least five officers were killed in a weekend attack by an armed group in Niger's western Tillaberi region, a local politician said on Sunday. The region, which is close to Mali, has been rocked by recurrent jihadist attacks. "On Saturday, an attack targeted a patrol of gendarmes in the town of Sanam, killing five of them," a local Tillaberi politician told AFP. A security and government source confirmed the attack without being able to provide the death toll. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The assailants arrived on motorbikes and targeted the patrol near the village of Abare on its market day."
 

Earlier reports

Jihadists, including those from the Islamic State group, have a presence in southwestern Niger near the border with Mali -- where they have carried out bombings, shootings and kidnappings. More than 250 civilians were killed and nearly 240 others were kidnapped between January and August this year, mainly in Niger's regions of Diffa, Tillaberi and Tahoua in the west, according to a UN report in September.

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Issoufou calls for help

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou has repeatedly called on the West and the United Nations to help the country battle the jihadists. But the presence of French, American, and German forces in Niger, as well as the UN in neighbouring Mali, has not stopped the increasing attacks.

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