Niger has been plunged back into mourning following the slaughter of civilians: at least 31 people were killed on Sunday in an armed attack in the western part of the country, near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, a region considered a jihadist hotbed in the Sahel.

The attack took place in Bossier, a village in the Gorouol commune of Tillaberi prefecture, located in the so-called “tri-national border” area. This region has seen repeated high-profile attacks over the past decade by jihadist groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, including the UIM.

In 2025, Tillaberi became “the deadliest region in the central Sahel,” recording over 1,200 deaths, the majority of them civilians, surpassing casualties in other regions of Niger as well as in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, according to the non-governmental organization ACLED.

A neighbor of the victims told Agence France-Presse: “Gunmen killed 31 residents in Bossier—30 in a field, and one of the five wounded later died at a health center.”

A local student body reported that “on Sunday, January 18, 2026, 31 people were executed by people without God and without law,” adding that four others remain hospitalized in critical condition. The statement expressed “deep shock and sadness” at the “heinous and barbaric” act.

Rising Violence in Tillaberi

Violence in Tillaberi has escalated in recent years. On September 22, 2025, the mayor of Gorouol, appointed by Niger’s military rulers, was assassinated in an ambush by “terrorists.” A week later, gunmen on motorcycles killed 22 villagers in Takubat, also in Tillaberi prefecture.

Human Rights Watch reported in September 2025 that jihadists from the so-called Islamic State in the Sahel had “summarily executed” at least 127 villagers and devout Muslims in five separate attacks since March.

Niger faces threats on multiple fronts, with deadly attacks by both Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) in its southeastern region. According to ACLED, jihadist activity in the country has resulted in approximately 2,000 deaths by 2025.

Military Rule and Regional Alliances

Niger remains under military rule following a July 2023 coup that overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The junta, led by General Abdourahmane Tiani, has prioritized defending “national sovereignty” and has expelled French and U.S. military personnel involved in anti-jihadist operations.

Alongside the military regimes in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has sought new partners, notably Russia. Together, the three countries established the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (ACS) and formed a joint anti-jihadist force of 5,000 troops.