New terrorist attack in Niger: six French and two Nigerians killed

Six French aid workers and their two Nigerian guides were shot dead on Sunday by a group of armed men. The eight victims had gone to visit the Kouré nature reserve, 60 kilometres from Niamey, Niger's capital.

The six workers, of French nationality, were members of the NGO, ACTED. One of the Nigerians was the driver of the convoy in which they were travelling when they were caught and the other was the president of the association in charge of visits to the national park, the only one with herds of giraffes in West Africa.

"The ACTED and IMPACT initiatives condemn in the strongest terms the senseless and barbaric killing of our colleagues and their guides. At this tragic moment, our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at home and in Niger," the organization's website published.

The murder, perpetrated by men on motorcycles, "took place around 11:30 am (12:30 pm in Paris), six kilometres east of the town of Kouré," the French daily Le Parisien reports, with testimony from someone close to the security services. "Most of the victims were shot dead and a woman who managed to escape was captured and killed," the testimony continues.

The leaders of France and Niger have also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and pledged to continue the fight against terrorism. In a statement, Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou condemned this "cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack" and extended his condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron, who showed his determination to "fight against armed terrorist groups. The fight continues.

There have not yet been any claims of responsibility for the attack, but the giraffe reserve is located in the Tillaberi region, which remains under the influence of Daesh and where, in 2017, four American and five Nigerian soldiers were killed.

This area has been in a state of emergency since 2017 and in May this year, local authorities said at least 20 people were killed in attacks by armed men in several villages in the region.

The complexity of a region such as the Sahel is accentuated by the presence and coexistence of different criminal organizations, ethnic militias, armed groups and government authorities, which encourages a continuous environment of insecurity. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Boko Haram or Daesh are terrorist organizations that are based in this area, making it a complicated area for the armed forces. It is in this area, where for years, both AQMI and Daesh have led a fight for leadership and regional jihad.

On 13 January, France and the G5 Sahel countries (Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Mali) agreed at a summit in Paris to strengthen their military cooperation in the face of jihadist attacks in the Sahel.

At the beginning of the year, the American newspaper The Washington Post revealed how the factions of Al-Qaeda and Daesh in the Sahel had come to an agreement and had become allies in this area to coordinate attacks, despite the fact that in other areas such as Syria or Yemen they are eternal rivals. Both groups have taken advantage of the problems in this region to recruit vulnerable young people and thus gain ground in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to plan attacks against the forces deployed in those countries and make the fight against terrorism more difficult.

According to the International Observatory on Terrorism Studies, the situation in the Western Sahel has worsened compared to previous months, ending the positive trend that had been recorded since the beginning of the year. "The total number of recorded attacks amounts to 71, and 320 civilians and military personnel have lost their lives in these attacks," the Observatory notes. The country with the highest number of attacks and victims is Burkina Faso, followed by Niger and Nigeria.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has classified a large part of the sub-Saharan country on a map as 'not recommended'. The Kouré area, where the tragedy took place, is classified as orange: travel is not recommended unless it is for compelling reasons. "Due to the security situation in the region, the terrorist threat to Niger, especially outside the capital and near the borders, is high. It is likely that the terrorist movements present in the Sahel, as well as in Nigeria and the lake area (Boko Haram) will lead operations in Niger," the French ministry's website reports.

France has deployed a total of 5,100 soldiers to help combat the growing insurgency in the Sahel region, and a local Sahel force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso is also working to combat jihadist terrorism.