Niger: Police station attacked in Tillabéri region May 27

Event

According to a police spokesperson, unidentified assailants attacked a police station located in the western Tillabéri region, near the border with Burkina Faso, on Saturday, May 27. The attack, which occurred at approximately 22:30 (local time), killed two policemen and one civilian, and injured three other policemen. The assailants, suspected to be jihadist militants, set fire to the police station and stole several weapons before fleeing to neighboring Mali.

Context

The regions of Tillabéri and Tahoua have become increasingly unstable in recent months, with attacks regularly targeting army positions and refugee camps. These incidents are generally attributed to Malian jihadist groups linked in particular to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). On March 6, seven soldiers were killed and four others injured in an attack on a police checkpoint in Wanzarbe (Tillabéri region).  On March 3, the government declared a state of emergency in several departments of the western regions of Tillabéri and Tahoua.

Advice

Visitors throughout the country should be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (government installations, prominent hotels, etc.) and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.

Many Western governments advise their citizens against travel to areas located in the north and west of the country, as well as areas along the Nigerian border, due to a high risk of terrorist activity.