Unmatched attacks on villages and settlements in western Niger have left more than 200 dead in six days. This violence has not been claimed, but it bears the hallmark of the Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara, the only large jihadist group in this area that is well enough organized to carry out attacks of this size. Since the beginning of the year, four attacks have been directed at civilians in this area. The government is talking about a new way of working.
For two years, the Islamic State group has strengthened its grip on western Niger. According to Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, village leaders have been killed. The population has sometimes been forced to flee and the taxes levied by jihadists and the theft of cattle are increasing:
“We must read this new dynamic of conflict in which civilians are being used as a response by Islamic State jihadists to this form of resistance organized locally by communities.”
Collective punishment and communication to Mohamed Bazoum
But the extent of the murders is unpublished. So far, if the Islamic State group has targeted any isolated individuals, such as retaliation for their cooperation with the government or with an enemy jihadist group, this time it is a collective punishment. The whole society is targeted, explains Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim.
Such attacks can also be a message sent to Niamey to journalist Lamine Ould Salem, a specialist in the Sahel: “These events also take place at a time when Mohamed Bazoum officially recognized by the Constitutional Court as the President-elect of Niger. And Mohamed Bazoum is considered one of the most important architects of security policy in Niger in recent years, in particular as Minister of the Interior under Mahamadou Issoufou. ”
The escalation of these attacks will be the new head of state’s biggest challenge.
After the Banibangou massacre, terrorists yesterday raged in the same barbaric manner against the peaceful civilian populations of Intazayene and Bakorat in the Tilia branch, causing several deaths. I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the parents of the victims.
– Mohamed Bazoum (@mohamedbazoum) March 22, 2021
The Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara wants to show that it can still act and that it is even regaining its strength. Either he managed to rebuild his strength by expanding his recruitment base, or he learned from the defeats suffered since January 2020. (…) It is legitimate to ask the question: does the adopted strategy not show its limits? “
Lemine Ould Salem, journalist, on the rise of attacks by the Islamic State in Niger
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