Nine civilians, including a schoolteacher, were killed in southwestern Niger during an attack by suspected insurgents, local sources confirmed on Sunday.
The ambush occurred on Friday, June 13, along a road between Makalondi and Torodi, near the border with Burkina Faso.
According to a teachers’ union statement, the victims were travelling in passenger vehicles when they came under attack around 10:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT). The union identified one of the deceased as a member of their organisation, while another teacher sustained injuries and has been transferred to Niamey for medical treatment.
The union condemned the assault, describing it as a “despicable act,” and urged authorities to step up security for civilians in the region. A resident of Torodi also confirmed the incident, citing civilian casualties.
The affected area lies within the Tillaberi region’s volatile “three borders” zone, where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali converge. This region has been a focal point for attacks orchestrated by insurgent groups aligned with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
Though less than 100 kilometres from the capital Niamey, the Makalondi-Torodi axis remains vulnerable to recurring insurgent threats. The Nigerien military has acknowledged the ongoing security challenges in the area, including the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on roads.
In a separate development, Niger’s armed forces announced on Saturday that 13 militants were “neutralised” during operations conducted between June 8 and 14 at illegal gold mining sites in Teguey, also in Tillaberi. Additionally, around 30 members of what the army described as “criminal cells in training” were killed in the Dosso region, close to the Nigerian border.
Niger, like its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, is governed by a military junta and is facing intensified violence. The three countries have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional security bloc. Earlier this year, they agreed to establish a joint force of 5,000 troops to conduct coordinated military operations across their territories.
