At Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) are battling it out, and it’s unimaginably brutal.
Jihad wars and the excessive violence jihadists commit against their victims, including women and children, are always about the expansion of the Sharia — no matter how barbaric one has to act in order to bring this about. Westerners turn a blind eye to this fact, and even fling open the doors to unvetted immigration to import believers in the same jihad doctrine that is plaguing so many countries.
“Niger: Children killed or forcibly recruited by armed Islamist groups in devastating conflict,” Amnesty International, September 13, 2021:
Conflict raging at Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Masked attackers have been documented opening fire from motorbikes and targeting men and older boys.
‘We all are used to hearing gunshots and to seeing [dead] people layered on top of [dead] people’ – a 13-year-old boy
‘An entire generation is growing up surrounded by death and destruction’ – Matt Wells
Increasing numbers of children are being killed or targeted for recruitment by armed groups in conflicts raging at Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, Amnesty International said in a new report published today (13 September).
The 57-page report, ‘I Have Nothing Left Except Myself’: The Worsening Impact on Children of Conflict in the Tillabéri Region of Niger, documents the devastating impact on children of the conflict, involving armed groups Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Both ISGS and JNIM have committed war crimes and other abuses, including the murder of civilians and the targeting of schools. Many children have been left traumatised after witnessing deadly attacks on their villages. In some areas, women and girls have been barred from activities outside the home, and risk abduction or forced marriage to fighters.
Matt Wells, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Deputy Director, said:
“Niger is at a precipice. In parts of the country an entire generation is growing up surrounded by death and destruction. Armed groups have repeatedly attacked schools, food reserves and are targeting children for recruitment.
“The Nigerien government and its international partners must urgently take action to monitor and prevent further abuses across Tillabéri region and protect the basic rights of all those affected by this deadly conflict – especially children.”
The Nigerien authorities have failed to protect civilians. Witnesses to attacks described how, despite their urgent calls, Niger’s Defence and Security Forces frequently arrived long after killing and looting had ended.
Amnesty considers the situation in Niger a non-international armed conflict, given the intensity of violence and level of organisation of both ISGS and JNIM.
Targeted killing of civilians
The conflict in Tillabéri, in the north-west of the country, has escalated significantly since the start of this year. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, violence against civilians has led to 544 conflict-related deaths between 1 January and 29 July in Niger, already far exceeding the 397 people killed last year.
Armed groups have killed more than 60 children in Niger’s tri-border area this year. ISGS, which operates primarily on the border with Mali, appears responsible for most of the killings.
Amnesty spoke to 16 boys who had narrowly survived ISGS attacks on their villages. They described how masked attackers on motorbikes opened fire, particularly targeting men and older boys. One boy, aged around 13 or 14, said, “We all are used to hearing gunshots and to seeing [dead] people layered on top of [dead] people”.
Fighters have fired into homes, killing or injuring civilians attempting to hide. One woman and her baby daughter suffered gunshot wounds while hiding at home during a likely ISGS attack.
The FDS withdrew from some border areas after suffering losses to ISGS and JNIM in late 2019, leading to an absence of state authorities. Witnesses to attacks said the FDS often failed to respond, as killing and looting unfolded over several hours. A 50-year-old man, in words echoed by many others, told Amnesty, “We have been abandoned”.
Recruitment of children
The recruitment of children by JNIM has increased significantly this year in Torodi department, near the Burkina Faso border. Witnesses said JNIM has targeted younger men and boys aged between 15 and 17, and possibly younger. JNIM members offer incentives such as food, money and clothes to attract recruits. Recruits reportedly receive weapons training for periods ranging from one week to three months. JNIM is also known to use children as spies, scouts and lookouts, among other functions defined as participation in hostilities under international law.
Ray Jarman says
To this day I do not understand why these African governments don’t form joint military apparatuses to combat these monsters. A force like this could go from village to village extracting those who provide aid to the monsters or even the entire village and place them in camps and told to provide for themselves by growing their own food or simply die. They could set up traps and wipe out the terrorists when they arrive at a village.
It seems that the most these governments do is moan and groan rather than fix the problem by exterminating the insects.
gravenimage says
Many Aftican nations are themselves run by barbaric Muslims and do not want to stop this savagery. Niger itself is 53% Muslim, and has a Muslim president.
Walter Sieruk says
This is despicable, brutally murderous and very Islamic.
ROBERT CARRILLO says
..Here we go again..
More global love from the proponents of ‘The Religion of Pease’.
CK says
Africa is corrupt and coward. See what’s happening in Nigeria. Fulani invaders, who came to settle in a tiny village in Sokoto in 1804, today constitute only about 7% of the Nigeria’s population are systemically enslaving and fulanising the entire country of 210 million indigenous peoples. Every major tribe in Nigeria is five times more than the Fulani, yet Fulani formed seven well known terrorist sects that are killing the indigenous people and taking over their villages, communities. Soon, they will start taking over towns and cities and Afghanistan will happen in Nigeria and most of sub-Sahara Africa. Africans are cowards.