Niger says 39 civilians killed in militant attacks

16/12/2024 6:05

Suspected jihadists killed 39

civilians, including women and children, in two separate attacks

in western Niger's conflict-torn borderlands in recent days, the

defence ministry said on Sunday.



The attackers struck the communities of Kokorou and Libiri,

it said, without giving further details on the date of the

bloodshed.



Niger and its neighbours in West Africa's Sahel region, Mali

and Burkina Faso, are on the frontlines of the battle to contain

an insurgent threat that has steadily grown since 2012, when al

Qaeda-linked fighters first seized parts of Mali.