Niger: un maire et figure de la société civile tué dans une attaque jihadiste
The mayor of a commune in western Niger, a prominent figure in the country's civil society, and his bodyguard were killed in an attack by "terrorists," local and community sources told AFP on Tuesday.
Niger is facing attacks from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, particularly in its western part.
Issa Santi, mayor of the commune of Gorouol, in this region close to the borders of Burkina Faso and Mali, was killed on Monday "in a terrorist attack," claimed the M62, a movement supporting the military regime in power since a coup d'état two years ago.
Mr. Santi was a leader of this important civil society organization.
"The rural commune of Gorouol is in mourning. The delegated administrator (the official name for mayors appointed by the military) and his bodyguard were cowardly assassinated by terrorists on Monday," a local source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, confirmed to AFP.
According to another local source, Mr. Santi, who was escorted by local self-defense militiamen, was traveling to a gold mining site when they were "intercepted by terrorists on motorcycles" who "opened fire on them."
The commune of Gorouol is located in the department of Téra in the vast region of Tillabéri which borders Burkina Faso and Mali and where jihadist groups are very active.
While the army claims to be deploying troops on a massive scale in the region, violence attributed to jihadists continues, targeting civilians and military personnel alike.
The tolls of these attacks are sometimes heavy: 22 villagers last week, 20 civilians traveling on board a truck in August, 71 worshippers killed in prayer in June.
Jihadists are also suspected of having killed around 100 religious and traditional leaders in western Niger since 2016, according to local NGOs.
Niger is also facing the deadly actions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) in its southeastern part.
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently urged the Nigerien authorities to "do more to protect" civilians in the Tillabéri region.
Commentaires (2)
C'est bien signé AFP, non ? Y a t il encore des africains assez idiots pour ne pas comprendre ?
Yow fous nous la paix avec tes théories du complot à la con
L'AFP, Reuters et Associated Press sont les seuls références dans le monde . Les gens de ton genre sont nuisibles à l'humanité car ils mentent comme ils respirent .Pauvre XEME va prendre tes médocs
Toute honte bue tu as pas pris tes medocs...............je te croyais la bas défendre nos frères..on t'a pas vu devant l'ambassade de bibi !!
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