Armed men kill 21 west of Niger’s capital

Armed men on motorcycles killed 21 people in Tillaberi region west of Niger’s capital Niamey, in yet a new incident that highlights the growing challenge of militancy in the military-ruled country.

The attack, which targeted a bus near the border with Burkina Faso, was described as a “hateful and inhumane act” by the military in a statement.

Tillaberi region has increasingly been the focus of tit-for-tat attacks between the military and local armed groups.

Niger and its army-ruled neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso have been hit by an Islamic insurgency that forced scores into displacement.

The army in the three countries kicked out western troops and promised to restore order by defeating Islamists and other armed groups. To do so, they forged an alliance with Russia. On the ground, Islamists are still conducting hit and run tactics exacerbating already fragile social conditions in the Sahel.