On 21 March 2021, armed jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the villages of Intazayane, Bakorat, Wirsnat, and several other hamlets and camps around Tillia, Tahoua Region, Niger. The attacks killed 141 people, mostly civilians, and injured several others.[3]
| Tillia massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part of the jihadist insurgency in Niger | |
| Location | Intazayane, Bakorat, Wirsnat, Akofafof, Tillia, Tahoua Region, Niger |
| Date | 21 March 2021 |
| Deaths | 141 |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State in the Greater Sahara[1][2] |
Background
editIn 2020, the French army launched a large offensive on the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, which came at the same time as a large offensive by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The offensives inflicted heavy losses on ISGS, and the group seemed weakened. At the start of 2021 with the Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres, ISGS began killing civilians en masse in western Niger in several attacks, and also began attacking Mali and Burkina Faso.[4]
On 15 March, a week before the massacres in Tillia, ISGS fighters killed 66 people in Darey-Daye and Chinagodrar, in the neighboring Tillabéri Region.[5]
Attacks
editThe attacks began at around 12:00 p.m. GMT, when armed ISGS fighters rode up in the towns on motorcycles and shot indiscriminately at "anything that moved", according to an anonymous local elected official.[6] The jihadists also torched camps in Akofafof that housed refugees, including women and children.[7][8] The main victims of the massacres were Tuaregs.[9]
While the attack was not claimed, the perpetrators are suspected to be the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.[9] France 24 journalist Wassim Nasr reiterated that ISGS conducted the attack, and stated that the massacres were reprisals for the civilians in those villages not paying zakat to ISGS. Nasr also stated that the villagers were more sympathetic to JNIM, and that there had been a spate of assassinations against pro-JNIM civilians in the area prior to the attack.[4][10]
Aftermath
editThe Nigerien government stated that 137 civilians were killed, making it the deadliest jihadist attack in Niger's history.[11] This death toll rose to 141 by June 2022.[12] At least 22 of the dead were children aged 5 to 17.[13] Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum announced three days of national mourning for the victims of the attack, and also vowed that the government would reinforce security in the region.[14]
The attacks were condemned by the United States,[15] African Union,[16] the UN Secretary General António Guterres,[17] Turkey,[18] India,[19] and Algeria.[20] They were also condemned by the International Rescue Committee.[21]
References
edit- ^ Nsaibia, Héni; Duhamel, Jules (17 June 2021). "Sahel 2021: Communal Wars, Broken Ceasefires, and Shifting Frontlines". ACLED. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Killing of at least 137 civilians in Tahoua Region on March 21 highlights role of ethnicity, communal conflicts in ongoing insurgency – Niger Analysis". Max Security. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Gunmen on motorbikes raid Niger villages, kill at least 137". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Massacres au Niger: peut-on éviter une guerre sans fin?". La Vie.fr (in French). 25 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 58 dead in 'barbarous' attack – DW – 03/17/2021". dw.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Au Niger, les journées de deuil national s'enchaînent" (in French). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Niger : les attaques de dimanche ont fait au moins 137 morts, selon le gouvernement". France 24 (in French). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 137 morts dans une attaque à Tillia au nord-ouest du pays". RFI (in French). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b Macé, Célian. "Au Niger, l'escalade macabre de l'Etat islamique". Libération (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Niger : 137 civils assassinés, est-ce un retour en force de l’OEI ?. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Niger hit by deadliest 'jihadist' raids". BBC News. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Au coeur du Sahel, l'Etat islamique s'étend, les massacres se succèdent". Challenges (in French). 17 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Niger: attacks on children and families must stop, once and for all". UNICEF UK. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "137 killed in deadly attacks on Niger villages". Daily Sabah. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Terrorist Attacks in Niger". United States Department of State. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Niger: AU worries about recurrent terrorist attacks". APAnews – African Press Agency. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Killing of 137 People in Latest Niger Attack, Calling upon Authorities to Enhance Civilian Protection". press.un.org. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Turkey strongly condemns Niger terrorist attacks". Daily Sabah. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "India strongly condemns terror attacks in Niger – News Live". 25 March 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Algeria condemns terrorist attacks in West of Niger – Embassy of Algeria in Sofia". Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "The IRC condemns the multiple attacks against civilians in Niger that have killed over 200 people in just ten days". www.rescue.org. Retrieved 10 August 2023.