"A deadly attack which struck cowardly", denounced Emmanuel Macron. On Sunday, a group of French aid workers and two Nigeriens were killed in southwestern Niger. 20 Minutes takes stock of what the Elysée qualifies as an attack. A defense council will be held Tuesday morning to clarify the circumstances of the attack.
What happened ?
According to Nigerien sources, eight people, two Nigeriens and six French, were killed on Sunday during a tourist excursion, by armed men, 6 kilometers from Kouré, a locality located in the southwest, where find a reserve of giraffes. Niamey, the capital of Niger, is about fifty kilometers away.
"The attackers, who were traveling on motorcycles in the reserve", would have waited for tourists, according to a source. Most of the victims were shot dead and a woman who managed to escape was caught and slaughtered. For the moment, the attack has not been claimed.
Who are the victims ?
The Quai d'Orsay has not yet confirmed the number of French victims. The verifications are still in progress, specifies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contacted this Monday by 20 Minutes . The NGO Acted confirms that several of the French victims are employees of the organization, which owned the vehicle that burned during the attack.
On the Nigerien side, we confirm the death of the driver of the 4x4 that transported the group as well as that of the president of the Association of guides of the Kouré reserve.
What is the security situation in this region?
Around Kouré, this is the first attack targeting Westerners since the area became a tourist attraction, for its herds of giraffes. “Everyone goes, even the ambassadors, diplomats, teachers, everyone! It is not at all considered dangerous as an area. There are giraffe protection NGOs working there, ”a Western humanitarian in Niamey told AFP.
According to the map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the area in which the attack took place is classified as orange "not recommended unless there is a compelling reason" but not "formally discouraged", as is the case in the northern part of the country and along borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
However, the security situation in the Tillabéri region, where Kouré is located, has become a den of Sahelian jihadists, including the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS). “We know that there is a movement of groups in the outskirts (…) of Kouré. There have been incidents quite close to Kouré in recent months, ” Mathieu Pellerin, researcher at the International Crisis Group , explained to RFI . According to the radio, the support group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), linked to Al-Qaida, denied being involved in the attack.
On January 8, 2011, two young French people, Antoine De Léocour and Vincent Delory, had been kidnapped the day before in the center of the Nigerian capital Niamey and killed in Malian territory during a Franco-Nigerian military intervention intended to rescue them.
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