Mosque attack leaves 10 dead in Niger Republic

The suspected jihadists have attacked a mosque leaving no fewer than 10 persons dead in Niger’s Tillaberi region, according to a local media on Wednesday.

The attack happened on Monday in the village of Abankor in the ‘Tri-Border’ region of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso

An eye witness in Banibangou city revealed that the attackers arrived on motorcycles during prayers in the evening when the victims were already already praying and opened fire on them leaving casualties.

Another eyewitnesses in the neighbouring town of Tondiwindi confirmed the attack and the death toll, saying that one person was injured in addition to the 10 dead, adding that the attack occurred in the early evening.

Attacks by jihadists have been on the rise since the beginning of the year particularly in the region of Banibangou and the surrounding towns in the Tillaberi region.

The flashpoint area is frequently targeted by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims with deadly attacks against civilians and soldiers.

Early this month the United Nations warned that the Tillaberi region was facing a “major food crisis”, with almost 600,000 people exposed to food insecurity.

The UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office warned that “Insecurity and recurrent attacks by suspected elements of non-state armed groups targeting farmers and civilians will have serious repercussions this year on the already precarious food situation,”