Nearly 130 people have been summarily executed by Islamist insurgents in Niger in separate attacks since March, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
The rights group states that gunmen carried out a series of brutal attacks, including a mass murder at a mosque in the western Tillabéri region in June, where more than 70 worshippers were shot dead during prayers.
There were bodies everywhere, one on top of the other, a local woman, who lost three of her sons in the attack was quoted by HRW as saying.
The spate of attacks is a significant blow to the credibility of Niger's military junta, as it promised to curb the insurgency when it took power after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.
About 1,600 civilians have been killed by Islamic State (IS) group fighters in Niger since the coup, HRW states, citing figures from the conflict monitoring group Acled.
The jihadist groups have also destroyed schools and religious sites, imposing severe restrictions on freedoms based on their interpretation of Islam, HRW reports.
Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses, remarked Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher at HRW.
The army has not yet commented on the HRW report. Eyewitness accounts describe warnings of attacks being ignored by the army, with villagers pleading for protection.
The Tillabéri region, which borders Burkina Faso and Mali, has been a focal point of insurgency over the past decade. Despite an alliance formed by Niger's military leaders with neighboring countries to combat jihadist violence, the situation continues to escalate, prompting calls for more effective strategies.
