On March 15, 2021, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the village of Darey-Daye, Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing sixty-six civilians. The attack occurred two months after the Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres, the deadliest attacks on civilians by ISGS in Niger.
| March 2021 Darey-Daye massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Niger | |
| Location | Darey-Daye, Tillaberi Region, Niger |
| Date | March 15, 2021 |
| Target | Zarma males |
| Deaths | 66 |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State in the Greater Sahara |
Background
editAt the start of 2021, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, a predominantly Fulani organization based in the tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, began attacking civilian areas, especially with non-Fulani populations. The first major attack was the Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres that killed 105 people, and on the same day of the attack in Darey-Daye, ISGS fighters in Mali killed thirty-three Malian soldiers during the battle of Tessit.[1]
Massacre
editAt around 5 p.m. on March 15, 2021, armed men stopped four buses carrying civilians in the villages of Chinagodrar and Darey-Daye that were returning from the weekly market in Banibangou.[2] The jihadists forced the passengers off, and separated them into groups by ethnicity and gender.[3] All Zarma males were killed including one Hausa driver.[3] Twenty-nine people were killed in this initial massacre, according to a survivor.[4] The jihadists then raided the village of Darey-Daye, where they burned granaries and shot indiscriminately at civilians.[5] These attacks on Darey-Daye killed thirty-seven people.[6][7][3]
The Nigerien government stated on March 16 that fifty-eight people were killed and one was injured in the massacre. This toll was later raised to 66 civilians killed.[2] While no group claimed responsibility, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara had been accused of and claimed responsibility for various similar attacks in the surrounding area.[8]
Aftermath
editA week after the attack, three villages in Tillia were attacked by ISGS, killing 137 people in the deadliest massacre in Nigerien history.[8] On August 17, 2021, thirty-seven people were killed in Darey-Daye in a second attack by ISGS.[9]
Further reading
editReferences
edit- ^ www.thedefensepost.com https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/03/17/niger-attacks-58-killed/. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b "Au Niger, 58 morts dans des attaques près du Mali" (in French). 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ a b c "Niger: Surging Atrocities by Armed Islamist Groups | Human Rights Watch". 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Niger: 58 dead in 'barbarous' attack – DW – 03/17/2021". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "At least 40 killed in fresh attack in Niger near Mali border". Africanews. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ www.thedefensepost.com https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/03/17/niger-attacks-58-killed/. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Society is divided as attacks in Niger leave more than 137 dead". Open Doors UK & Ireland. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ a b ""I Have Nothing Left Except Myself" The Worsening Impact on Children of Conflict in the Tillabéri Region of Niger" (PDF). Amnesty International. July 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Dozens killed in Niger village attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-08-27.