Niger declared mourning after the murder of 44 people by terrorists

The authorities of Niger declared three days of mourning after 44 people were killed by terrorists from the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (IGBS), which is a structure of the Islamic State (IS, recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation). This was announced on March 21 by the Interior Ministry.

It is reported that the attack took place on a mosque in a rural area of the southwestern part of Niger.

"This Friday, March 21, the village of Fonbita in the commune of Kokoru was subjected to a barbaric terrorist attack <...> The preliminary death toll is 44 people, all of them civilians, 13 people were injured," reads a statement from the Interior Ministry, which was read on the state TV channel Télé Sahel.

In December 2024, 39 people were killed in armed attacks in Western Niger. According to representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the attacks took place on December 12 and 14 in Libiri and Kokoru, settlements on the border with Burkina Faso.