Niger Republic has declared three days of national mourning after 100 civilians were killed in two villages in the Western part of the country.
Militants laid siege on the villages, shot sporadically at people and left the country in abject pain at what’s one of the worst attacks it has faced in recent time.
Niamey said an investigative panel has bee set to find the perpetrators of the dastardly act. More than 100 assailants attacked the villages on Saturday and killed scores after shooting indiscriminately.
The Nigerien government has strengthened its hold in the Northern border of the country where it connects Mali and Burkina Faso.
Militants believed to have carried out the attack are linked with the notorious terrorist organisations, al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
The country also shares a northeastern border with Nigeria’s North-East where insurgency is being battled more than a decade now, partly affecting the Chadian people.
Niger will have its Presidential run-off on the 21st of February but its weak security architecture has been criticised and brought under the radar.
Locals who survived the attacks are moving out of their homes, while neighbouring villages are also running for safety as they approach Ouallam, a town 50 miles away from the point of the attack.
The United Nations refugees agency has said many of these people are making the migration using their feet.
Niger is eyeing its first democratic transition in 60 years.
