Niger announces three days of mourning after the mosque attack kills 44 | News

Authorities have accused the deadly attack in Kokoru in the Islamic State in the great Sahara, a branch of Isil.

The government of Niger has announced three days of mourning after an attack on a mosque southwest of the country, which killed at least 44 people.

The casualties were killed in a “savage” armed attack in the Phambita district of the village border town of Kokoru, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement broadcast on state television on Friday.

The ministry said another 13 people were injured.

The Sahel region in West Africa has been observed in recent years after the rise of armed fighters related to the armed groups al -Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), which took over the territory in North Mali after the 2012 rebellion.

Since then, it has spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, and recently north of the coastal West African countries such as Togo and Ghana.

Niger's interior ministry said the last attack had happened early in the afternoon, as humans visited a mosque's prayer service during the Muslim sacred month of Ramadan.

“The highly armed terrorists have surrounded the mosque to do their slaughter with unusual cruelty,” he said, adding that the attackers also set fire to a local market and homes.

The Ministry of Defense has accused the attack on the Islamic State in the great Sahara or Eigs, a branch of Isil, in a late Friday statement.

Eigs had no immediate reaction to the claim. Previous attacks in Niger were stated by Al -Qaeda partner groups.

The government has promised to pursue the perpetrators and put them in court.

A military -governed government of Niger He often fights armed groups in the region, and civilians are often victims of violence.

Since July 2023, at least 2,200 people have been killed in Niger, according to ACLED database, a non-governmental organization that provides data on armed conflicts and events.

In the Big Sahel region, which covers several countries, hundreds of thousands are more killed, and millions displaced when armed groups attack cities and villages, as well as government security plants.

The failure of governments to restore security has contributed to two coups in Mali, two in Burkina Faso and one in Niger between 2020 and 2023. All three remain under military government, despite the regional and international pressure to hold elections.

After the coup, authorities responded with traditional Western allies and instead sought military support from Russia.