Niger’s defence ministry on Sunday said suspected jihadists killed 39 civilians in two separate attacks.
Among those killed by the jihadists include women and children in western Niger’s conflict-torn borderlands in recent days.
According to the ministry, the attackers struck the communities of Kokorou and Libiri, without giving further details on the date of the bloodshed.
Niger and its neighbours in West Africa’s Sahel region, Mali and Burkina Faso, are on the frontlines of the battle to contain an insurgent threat that has steadily grown since 2012, when al Qaeda-linked fighters first seized parts of Mali.
