Human Rights Watch said Islamist gunmen summarily executed nearly 130 people in a series of five attacks across Niger since March, including a mass killing of worshippers in a mosque in the western Tillabéri region in June.
The NGO said about 70 people were killed while praying during one of the assaults and that the attacks, which it documented through witness interviews and field investigation, left communities terrorised and unable to access basic services. Though no group has formally claimed responsibility for the incidents, witnesses told investigators they believed the assailants were affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sahel.
Human Rights Watch said the five attacks occurred between March and June and that the pattern of violence included killings at homes, public gatherings and places of worship. In one account cited by the NGO, a woman who lost three sons described scenes of bodies "everywhere, one on top of the other." The report said jihadist groups have also destroyed schools and religious sites and have imposed restrictions on civil rights according to local interpretations of Islam.
The organisation criticised Nigerien authorities for failing to protect civilians. Witnesses told HRW investigators that soldiers did not adequately respond to warnings of impending attacks and that villagers' repeated requests for protection were ignored. "Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses," Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, said. "Nigerien authorities need to do more to protect people living in the Tillabéri region."
Since a military coup in 2023 that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, the Nigerien armed forces have vowed to confront the insurgency. Human Rights Watch said that, since the coup, around 1,600 civilians have been killed by fighters linked to the Islamic State, a figure the group said reflected a sharp escalation in attacks across several regions. The military had not issued a public comment on HRW's findings at the time of the report.
The HRW report comes amid a broader regional surge in extremist violence. Days earlier, local officials in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo reported an attack at a funeral in the town of Ntoyo, Lubero territory, North Kivu province, in which Islamic State-affiliated fighters allegedly killed scores of mourners. Local administrator Macaire Sivikunula said a provisional death toll was 50, while Colonel Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero, put the toll at about 60 and said it could rise as people remained missing.
The Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group originally from Uganda that pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019 and now operates as Islamic State Central Africa Province, has escalated machete and gun attacks in eastern Congo in recent months. Despite joint military efforts by the governments of the DRC and Uganda, the group has continued to carry out high-casualty attacks.
Human Rights Watch's account underscores challenges faced by Sahel states as they confront decentralised, mobile extremist groups that target civilians and civilian infrastructure. The NGO called for Nigerien authorities to increase protection for communities in Tillabéri and for international partners to support measures that prioritise civilian safety and accountability for abuses. Niger's security landscape has been further complicated by political instability since the 2023 coup, which analysts say has affected coordination with foreign partners and constrained military operations against militants.
The killings documented by Human Rights Watch add to a mounting tally of civilian deaths across the Sahel and Great Lakes regions, and to international concern about the ability of national forces to protect civilians amid expanding extremist activity. Humanitarian agencies and rights groups have repeatedly warned that continued attacks and the destruction of services such as schools deepen displacement and worsen access to aid for affected populations.
Nigerien authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the HRW report. Human Rights Watch said it provided details of its findings to Nigerien officials and urged urgent steps to protect civilians and investigate the alleged abuses.