21 civilians are killed by armed attackers in western Niger, the army reports

In the West African country of Niger, the army said that at least 21 civilians were slain by armed assailants on motorcycles.

At a period of increased instability in the Sahel, where military rulers have expelled Western soldiers and turned to Russia and others for backing, the attack occurred last Thursday near the town of Tera, which is located close to the Burkina Faso border and approximately 175 kilometers (108 miles) west of the capital Niamey.

In a statement released over the weekend, the army described the attack as a “hateful and inhumane act” and claimed it targeted a public transportation vehicle that was traveling between the Tillaberi region’s towns of Bankilare and Tera.

Attacks between local armed groups and the military have been more frequent in the Tillaberi district.

The army reported that a military vehicle struck an improvised explosive on Friday, killing one of its soldiers in a retaliatory attack.

At the center of the Sahelian insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions more, are neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. All are run by military regimes that took control in a series of overthrows beginning in 2020.

Although the military rulers have pledged to increase public safety, security has only gotten worse.

Washington no longer has a military presence in the Sahel after Niamey ordered the U.S. to withdraw from Niger, which was once a key ally in the U.S. war against rebels in the Sahel.