Armed men kill 21 civilians in Niger

By Oumar Sankare

BAMAKO, Mali (AA) - Twenty-one civilians were killed last week during an attack on a goods transport convoy near Tera, in western Niger, an area regularly hit by unidentified armed men, local media reported over the weekend.

State-run radio Voix du Sahel confirmed the attack occurred at the border junction between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

“Vehicles returning from the weekly market in Tera were attacked on Dec. 5, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of Tera, near Bankilare, by armed bandits,” it said.

The Nigerien army is carrying out several operations against jihadist groups in the Tillaberi region, where these attacks are regularly attributed to “terrorists.”