'Armed bandits' said to have killed 20 civilians in west Niger

NIAMEY - Armed men killed 20 civilians travelling on a truck in a western region of Niger where jihadist groups are active, locals said Saturday.

The attack occurred Thursday near the town of Komabangou, according to residents and media reports.

The truck, coming from the market town of Mehanna, was intercepted by "armed bandits" near the Komabangou gold mine, a local resident reported.

The attackers "made all the passengers get off, put nineteen men on one side, for no reason, made them lie on the ground, and riddled them with bullets," said the source, adding that the driver was also killed and the truck set on fire.

Women were spared and two other passengers managed to escape, the local said.

The attack was also mentioned on social media and in local media.

"The terrorists slaughtered nineteen passengers like cattle, leaving only two women alive," said Hassane Toro, a resident of Tillaberi, the capital of the region of the same name.

According to the NigerScoop website, "around twenty people were killed" in the attack.

Despite a massive army deployment, violence attributed to jihadists continues in the region, targeting civilians and military personnel alike.

As of Saturday, the military regime in power in Niamey since a coup two years ago had not commented on the attack.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, all led by their militaries and united within the Alliance of Sahel States (ESA), announced earlier this year the formation of a joint force of 5,000 troops against "terrorist groups."

On Thursday, the three ESA defence ministers met in Moscow with their Russian counterpart, who expressed his "readiness to provide comprehensive assistance to ensure stability in the region".

In recent years, the three Sahelian countries have ousted the French and American militaries, which were fighting alongside them against jihadist insurgents, and have drawn closer to Russia.