At least 31 civilians have been killed in an armed attack on a village in western Niger, near the country’s borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The assault occurred on Sunday in Bosiye village, situated in the Tillaberi region, a volatile tri border zone where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali meet.
The area has become a stronghold for jihadist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, who have unleashed violence across the region for nearly 10 years.
A resident, speaking to journalists, said, “Armed men killed 31 of our people in Bosiye on Sunday. Thirty died immediately, while one of five injured persons later died at a medical facility.”
The casualty figure was corroborated by a local student union, which expressed shock over what it described as “this heinous and brutal attack” in a statement.
The Tillaberi region has witnessed escalating violence, with the mayor of Gorouol, the administrative area covering Bosiye, killed in an ambush in September. He had been appointed by the country’s military government.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a conflict monitoring organisation, Tillaberi has emerged as “the deadliest region across central Sahel” in 2025.
The tri border area remains a flashpoint for extremist violence, with security forces struggling to contain the insurgency despite ongoing military operations.