[ad_1]
More than 420 civilians have been killed in jihadist attacks in western Niger this year and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
The estimate comes after an 11-day trip in which members of the watchdog traveled to Niger to meet with witnesses, traditional leaders, local authorities, foreign diplomats and Nigerien rights activists.
“Armed Islamist groups appear to be waging a war against the civilian population in western Niger,” said Corinne Dufka, director of HRW Sahel.
“They killed, looted and burned, leaving death, shattered lives and destruction in their wake,” she said in the HRW statement.
The groups also destroyed schools and churches and imposed restrictions based on their harsh interpretation of Islam, the rights group said.
Nine attacks documented by HRW took place between January and July in towns and villages in the western regions of Tillaberi and Tahoua.
Map of Niger locating the Tahoua and Tillabéri regions. By (AFP) “Since 2019, this area has seen a dramatic increase in attacks against military targets and, increasingly, against civilians by armed Islamist groups allied with Islamic State and, to a lesser extent, Al-Qaeda” HRW said in its report.
Among those killed were village chiefs, imams, people with disabilities and “many children”, some executed after being torn from their parents’ arms, he added.
“People who commit serious violations of the laws of war, including summary executions and torture, can be prosecuted for war crimes,” HRW said.
“The government of Niger has an obligation to properly investigate and prosecute war crimes committed on its territory.
According to official figures, 307 civilians were killed in the western region between January and March of this year.
Atrocities were also committed in southeastern Niger by Nigerian jihadists from Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) province.
Source link
