Airstrikes carried out by the Nigerien army on Monday against jihadists in the west of the country caused the deaths of dozens of civilians, according to local sources on Friday, September 26. The ruling junta is struggling to contain violence linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in this region bordering Mali.

"Dozens of civilian casualties" were discovered after airstrikes by the Nigerien army earlier this week targeting jihadists in western Niger, near Mali, local sources reported to AFP on Friday, September 26.

Niger is facing attacks in its western part from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation, which the junta that came to power two years ago is struggling to contain.

On Monday, "army strikes targeted terrorists riding motorcycles and there were dozens of civilian deaths in Injar," a village in the Filingué department, about 200 km northeast of the capital Niamey, a resident of the area told AFP, a version corroborated by a local civil society actor.

Several victims and injured

"These unfortunate events have resulted in casualties and injuries," reported state television RTN, which did not provide a death toll. "Several dozen casualties were recorded in the army's air operations," confirmed the media outlet "Les Échos du Niger," citing "witnesses."

General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the military regime, dispatched Colonel Maina Boukar, governor of the Tillabéri region (west), to Injar on Thursday "to present his condolences and compassion to the population."

The governor visited the wounded, according to footage shown by RTN. "We have the enemy's position, the enemy may have left (the area) and people are coming to the same position on motorcycles, we can be sure that it will be difficult to tell the difference," Colonel Boukar explained to the grieving population of Injar.