Niger: State of emergency extended in Tillabéri region Nov. 30

Event

Niger’s Council of Ministers announced on Friday, November 30, that the current state of emergency in Tillabéri region has been extended into three more departments along the border with Burkina Faso. The new measures were put into effect for the departments of Say, Torodi, and Tera following recent terrorist attacks in the area. In mid-November, a gendarmerie post was attacked in Torodi, resulting in two security personnel being killed and another wounded. Under the state of emergency, security forces are granted additional powers, including the right to search homes during the day or the night.

Context

Militants have been increasingly active along the Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso border area, which the countries' respective governments have had difficulty securing. Officials placed the Tillabéri region under a state of emergency in March 2017 due to an increase in attacks targeting refugee camps and security forces.

Niger faces a high threat from terrorism, including armed attacks and abductions. Militant Islamist cells from various Nigerian and Malian terrorist groups - including Boko Haram, Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Al-Mourabitoun - are all active in the country.

Advice

Individuals throughout Niger should exercise vigilance when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted by an attack (e.g. government buildings, prominent hotels, etc.) and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities. Many Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to areas located in the north and west of the country, including areas along the border with Burkina Faso, as well as areas along the Nigerian border to the south, due to the high risk of terrorist activity.