Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a group of aid workers in Niger. They killed six French citizens, their local guide, and the driver. The attack happened at around 11:30 local time (10:30 GMT). The group was attacked on Sunday in a giraffe reserve near Koure. It is a town about 65km (40 miles) from the capital, Niamey.
“They were intercepted and killed,” the governor of Tillabéri region, Tidjani Ibrahim, told the French news agency AFP.
In a statement, the Association of Koure Giraffe Reserve Guides described the attackers as a “unit of terrorists”. They added that the dead included its president, Kadri Abdou.
President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with his Niger counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou on Sunday. The President’s office confirmed that French nationals who worked for the ACTED relief organization have been killed in Niger.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. France and other countries have warned people against traveling to parts of Niger. The region has a number of active militant groups including Boko Haram and an affiliate of Islamic State.
Despite this, tourists still visit to see the Niger giraffes. It is a sub-species distinguished by its lighter colour. The Koure Giraffe Reserve draws many tourists.
France has been leading a coalition of West African and European allies against Islamist militants in the region since June. They are united to fight Islamic militants in the Sahel region, which includes Niger. Thousands of troops have been deployed in the arid region south of the Sahara desert since 2013. But militant violence has been on the rise.
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