Ambush kills 37 civilians near Téra, Niger
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SeneNews
At least 37 civilians were killed on Thursday in an ambush by unidentified armed men near Téra, in western Niger, according to local sources cited by AFP. The country, ruled by a junta since the 2023 coup, faces recurring jihadist violence.
At least 37 civilians were killed on Thursday in an ambush by unidentified armed men near Téra, in the region of Tillabéri, in western Niger. The victims were travelling to Téra’s weekly market when they were caught in the ambush, according to a former local elected official cited by AFP.
The residents were escorted by members of a local self-defence group. The former local elected official said that 11 of its members, seven women and 20 men were among those killed. A resident of Téra, for his part, reported 37 deaths, including women and children, according to AFP.
A person wounded in the attack died on Friday morning, bringing the death toll to 38 according to the former local elected official cited by AFP. Niger, ruled by a junta since the 2023 coup, has faced violence from jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State for more than a decade.
The attack targeted residents of the village of Tillim who were travelling to Téra, a town and department in the Tillabéri region, near Burkina Faso and Mali.
