The Islamist armed group Islamic State in the Sahel Province (IS Sahel) has escalated attacks on civilians in Niger since March 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. The attacks violated international humanitarian law and are apparent war crimes.
In at least five attacks across Niger’s western Tillabéri region that Human Rights Watch documented, IS Sahel summarily executed over 127 villagers and Muslim worshipers, and burned and looted dozens of homes. Witnesses said the Nigerien army did not adequately respond to warnings of attacks, ignoring villagers’ requests for protection. Protection strategies for residents in the region should be urgently overhauled to deter future attacks and create more responsive warning systems.
“Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Nigerien authorities need to do more to protect people living in the Tillabéri region.”
The Tillabéri region borders the countries of Burkina Faso and Mali, where government forces have been fighting Islamist armed groups for over a decade. The area has been a focal point of IS Sahel activity in Niger for a decade, as well for government counterinsurgency operations. Since 2019, Islamist armed groups allied with the Islamic State or Al-Qaeda have escalated attacks against military targets and civilians in the so-called tri-border area. These groups have also destroyed schools and religious sites, and imposed severe restrictions based on their interpretation of Islam.
From May to July 2025, Human Rights Watch remotely interviewed 28 people, including 19 witnesses and 9 local activists, journalists, and physicians. Human Rights Watch wrote to the Niger justice minister on August 19, sharing research findings and requesting information on the government’s steps to enhance the protection of civilians. The justice minister did not respond.
No armed group has claimed responsibility for the five attacks that Human Rights Watch documented. However, witnesses said they believed the attackers were members of IS Sahel based on the villages targeted and the attackers’ attire, including turbans with red bands similar to those the armed group wore during previous attacks. Residents also said that prior to each attack, IS Sahel fighters had threatened their communities, accusing them of collaborating with the Nigerien army or disregarding the fighters’ demands.
On June 21, IS Sahel fighters opened fire on worshipers in a mosque in Manda village, killing over 70 and injuring at least 20. “The scene was chilling,” said a 77-year-old woman who lost three sons in the attack. “There were bodies everywhere, one on top of the other. There were bodies inside and outside the mosque. The wounded were screaming and bleeding.”
On May 13, IS Sahel fighters attacked the hamlet of Dani Fari and killed five men and two boys, and burned at least a dozen homes. A herder said: “The bodies were scattered … riddled with bullets. There wasn’t a single body out there that had fewer than three bullet holes. The bullets had hit people in the back, arms, head…. We found the bodies of the two children lying on their backs.”
Niger’s military junta has been in power since July 26, 2023, when army officers of the self-proclaimed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie), led by Brig. Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, overthrew and detained the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
They cited the deteriorating security situation as one of the reasons for toppling Bazoum and promised to restore security in areas affected by Islamist armed groups. The nongovernmental organization Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) has reported that since the coup, though, IS Sahel has killed about 1,600 civilians.
The junta security forces have conducted large counterinsurgency operations, including airstrikes, against the Islamist armed groups in conflict-affected areas. On August 3, the junta began an initiative known in the Hausa language as “Garkuwar Kassa” (Shields of the Homeland), aimed at recruiting and training civilians to assist the armed forces. But that has raised concerns among human rights groups about creating abusive militias.
Human Rights Watch has previously reported on abuses by Islamist armed groups in Niger, including the killing of hundreds of civilians in 2021. Human Rights Watch also documented abuses by Niger’s security forces in 2021, including killings and enforced disappearances during counterinsurgency operations, and the junta’s crackdown on the political opposition, media, and peaceful dissent.
All parties to Niger’s armed conflict are bound by Common Article 3 to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary laws of war. International humanitarian law prohibits attacking civilians, mistreating anyone in custody, and burning and looting civilian property. Individuals who order, commit, or assist serious violations of the laws of war with criminal intent may be prosecuted for war crimes. The Niger government has an obligation to investigate and appropriately prosecute alleged war crimes committed within its territory.
“Civilians threatened by Islamist armed groups are calling on Niger’s junta to provide greater protection,” Allegrozzi said. “The government should take urgent steps to deter future atrocities, investigate serious abuses by IS Sahel and other armed groups, and bring those responsible to account based on international fair trial standards.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
