Gunmen Kill Scores in Southwest Niger.

Reports say at least 16 people were killed in an attack on a village in southwest Niger by some unknown gunmen.

Attackers have repeatedly massacred civilians this year, a local official and a security source said.

See also Unknown Gunmen Attack a Police Station in Imo.

Thiem is about 20 km from three other villages, where in May a series of attacks by fighters of the armed group ISIL (ISIS) forced more than 11,000 residents to flee.

More than 420 civilians and tens of thousands more were evicted from their homes in 2021. There have been calls for more security measures in the area, saying that the fighters behind the wave of attacks in the vast Tillaberi region can operate freely despite tight government controls.

The attacks are part of a larger conflict that encompasses the border areas of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the Sahel of Africa, where fighters with ties to Al-Qaeda and ISIL are trying to take control.