2021 Tillabéri attacks

On 2 January 2021, two villages in the Tillabéri Region of western Niger, Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye, located near the country's border with Mali, were attacked.[1] The attacks left at least 105 people dead and 75 others injured. More than 10 thousand people fled their homes after the attacks.[2][3]

2021 Tillabéri attacks
Part of the insurgency in the Maghreb
LocationTchombangou and Zaroumdareye, Tillabéri Region, Niger
Coordinates14°49′48″N 01°48′45″E
Date2 January 2021
Deaths105
Injured75

Background

Several major attacks occurred in Niger during the 2010s and 2020. However, this is the first time that over 100 civilians were killed during a single attack, marking this incident as the deadliest against civilians in the country since the Boko Haram insurgency began.[4] The previous biggest attack in Niger against civilians was the 12 December 2020 Toumour attack, which resulted in 28 people killed. Both the December 2020 and January 2021 attacks were carried out during Niger's municipal and regional elections.[5]

On the same day of this attack, two soldiers were killed in a shooting in Algeria and two French soldiers were killed in a bombing in Mali.[6][7]

Attacks

The attacks occurred in two villages, Tchombangou (at 14°49′48″N 01°48′45″E) and Zaroumdareye (at 14°54′21″N 01°46′36″E), which are seven kilometres apart, and initially left 79 people dead and 75 wounded. Of the deceased victims, 49 were killed in Tchombangou and 30 in Zaroumdareye. A day after the attack, 21 more people were found dead and others succumbed to their injuries on Tchombangou, bringing the total death toll to 100.[5] On 8 January UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman said that 73 people had been killed in the village of Tchouma Bangou and 32 in Zaroumdareye, making the total death toll 105.[2] The government of Niger dispatched soldiers to the border after the attacks and the incident was confirmed by government officials. The attackers are Islamist militants who arrived in the villages while crossing the border from Mali; however, the exact terrorist organization who carried out the attacks is not clear so far.[8][9]

Some time before the massacre, two militants who were seen in the area were killed by the local villagers. Those attacks are suspected to be in retaliation for those killings, according to the country's interior minister.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Niger village attacks killed 100, says prime minister". Reuters. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  2. "Death Toll in Niger Village Massacre Rises to 105". The Defense Post. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. "100 Civilians Are Reported Dead After Attacks in Niger". The New York Times. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. "Dozens of civilians killed in terrorist attack in Niger". TRT World. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  5. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Niger: More than 100 dead civilians in village attacks | DW | 03.01.2021". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. "Two French soldiers killed in Mali: French presidency". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  7. "4 militants, 2 soldiers killed in clashes in northern Algeria - Xinhua | English.news.cn". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. Niamey, Reuters in (2 January 2021). "At least 70 killed in suspected Islamist attacks in Niger". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  9. "'Many Civilians' Killed in Niger Gun Attack | Voice of America - English". Voice of America. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  10. "Niger village attacks killed 100, says prime minister". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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