The Republic of Niger has confirmed the deaths of 44 civilians in a terrorist attack on Fambita village in the Tillabéri region, attributing the assault to militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the attack occurred on Friday, March 22, around 2 p.m., while Muslim worshippers were observing Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
The assailants, heavily armed, surrounded the mosque before launching their assault.
“These terrorists, in an act of extreme cruelty, massacred innocent civilians at prayer before systematically setting fire to the market and homes during their retreat,” the statement, broadcast on national television, said.
The attack also left 13 people injured, including four in critical condition. In response to the tragedy, the government has declared a 72-hour national mourning period from Saturday, March 23, during which flags will be flown at half-mast across the country.
Minister of State and Acting Minister of the Interior, Army Corps General Salifou Modi, strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous act committed on a Friday, the holy day of Islam, in the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan.”
He further stated that the attack demonstrated that “terrorists and their supporters do not uphold any religious ideals.”
The government has vowed that “these heinous crimes will not go unpunished,” pledging to track down the perpetrators, their sponsors, and accomplices to bring them to justice.
The massacre comes just two days after the Nigerien military carried out an air-to-ground raid targeting suspected EIGS militants at the Kiral gold mining site in the same region. The operation reportedly resulted in the deaths of 45 suspected terrorists, according to an official statement
