By Ebi Kesiena
Niger has decreed 48 hours of state mourning, after 37 people were killed in a new massacre by suspected rebels.
In a statement by the government on Wednesday, the flags will now be flown at half-mast across the country.
The statement reaffirmed government’s determination to continue the fight against terrorism until final victory, and called on the population to be more vigilant.
Recall that, on Monday, gunmen on motorcycles attacked villagers in Darey-Daye while they were ploughing their fields.
Among the 37 killed were four women and 13 children.
The massacre bore the traces of the rebel attacks that have ravaged western Niger since 2015, when an armed campaign spread from Mali.
Darey-Daye, who was hit in an attack that killed 66 people in March, is in the Tillaberi area, which has borne the brunt of the bloodshed.
The village is located in the department of Banibangou, in what is called the “triangle”, where the borders of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.
The region is notorious for attacks by groups associated with al-Qaeda and ISIS.
According to reports, more than 420 civilians were killed and tens of thousands of people fled their homes in rebel attacks in Tillabéri and neighboring Tahoua this year.
