Summary

From December 11 – 14, 2024, 39 people, including children, were killed by jihadists insurgents in two related attacks in western Niger’s Tillabéri Region. The attacks were first reported by Niger’s Ministry of Defence, although without naming exact dates or times. Jihadists targeted the towns of Libiri, where 18 people were killed, and Kokorou, where 21 people were killed. The Nigerien government condemned the attacks as “barbaric” but did not provide more information about where the attacks occurred, the number of casualties, or the aggressor.[1] The attacks cap off a particularly bloody month for Niger, which saw 21 civilians killed during a December 7 assault on a goods convoy in the region and 90 soldiers and 40 civilians killed in various attacks in the Téra Department throughout late 2024.

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This report aims to confirm and locate the attacks as well as identify the number of buildings destroyed and locate any associated gravesites. Since the rise of Niger’s Russian-backed military junta in July 2023, a wide-ranging media ban has made most information coming out of Niger unreliable. The junta, led by Abdourahamane Tchiani, regularly underreports casualties, downplays incidences of violence, and suppresses information about terrorist activity inside Niger. The issue is exacerbated by the junta’s recent expulsion of Western military support, ban on foreign news outlets, and halting of negotiations with terrorist organizations. Due to the unreliability of information coming out of Niger’s military junta, and the government’s suppression of information, this report could help shed more light on jihadist activities in the western Sahel. Especially considering that jihadist attacks have become more frequent and intense since the junta took power, this report could help shed light on a worrying trend in the region.

Case Location:

The attacks occurred in the towns of Libiri and Kokorou, roughly 60 and 95 miles, respectively, west of Niamey. Both towns are in the Tillabéri Region. Kokorou is located in the Téra Department, a region bordering Burkina Faso that has seen particularly intense jihadist activity over the past several months, and Libiri in the southern Say Department.

Situated 55 miles north of Libiri, Kokorou, is a prominent market town in western Niger with a population of nearly 100,000. Like Libiri, it is mostly inhabited by the Songhay/Songhai ethnic group. Libiri is smaller and more rural but is home to a large mine and is closer to the Burkinabé border.

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Eyewitnesses in Libiri report being “left at the mercy of jihadists” as they were forced to flee the town. Women reported incidences of sexual violence also being motive to flee. As residents left Libiri, jihadists set the town on fire.[1] As previously mentioned, a wide-ranging media ban in Niger prevents reliable information about the attack from being released, leading to increased uncertainty about the number of civilians, soldiers, and insurgents killed.

The Mali/Niger/Burkina Faso frontier lands are a hotbed of jihadist activity in the region. Insurgent groups linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda use the area as a regional base and are responsible for most of the region’s violence, with the Nigerien government’s impotence often emboldening groups. Burkina Faso’s Sahel Region has become especially dangerous, with Nigerien media blaming Burkina Faso for failing to curtail the spillover of their fight into western Niger.​

Individual Incident Locations:

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Location 1:

Edge of Libiri at 13°24’26.94”N, 1°13’44.25”E, near a main northern road traversing Libiri. The location was identified through cross-referencing satellite imagery with videos on social media as well as FIRMS satellite evidence.

On December 13, 2024, FIRMS showed fire activity near the Burkina Faso/Niger border, seemingly originating near Libiri.

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Case Location Evidence Below: