Gunmen kill 15 policemen in Niger
Armed men killed 15 police officers in southwest Niger, near the west African country’s border with Nigeria and Benin, local sources told AFP Saturday.
Although those responsible have not yet been identified, Friday’s attack was just the latest in a region prone to jihadist violence carried out by groups linked to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) group.
This latest attack targeted a gendarmerie station near Tessa, in the Dosso region, a former local elected official told AFP. It was carried out by unidentified armed men on motorbikes “who probably came from neighbouring Nigeria”, he added.
A local official confirmed the toll of 15 dead to AFP, without elaborating.
Videos posted to social media by locals appear to show burnt-out vehicles and shelters inside the gendarmes’ compound.
The victims of the attack were buried Saturday at a cemetery in the city of Dosso.
The authorities in Niger have so far made no statement on the attack.
Niger, governed by a military junta for three years, has been plagued by jihadist violence and saw a spate of kidnappings of Westerners last year.
Earlier this month, state media and local sources said hundreds of people had fled their homes in the region after a series of attacks in mid-July against their villages.
The border zone became the site of fresh jihadist violence in 2025 as groups affiliated to al-Qaeda or IS moved into the territory, according to the ACLED conflict monitor.
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