Niger: Waves of displaced people after "terrorist" attacks in the southwest

Several hundred people fled their homes after a series of "terrorist" attacks in mid-July against villages in southwestern Niger, AFP learned Sunday from local sources and state media.

These movements of displaced people are unprecedented in this part of the Dosso region (southwest), close to Nigeria and Benin.

The border area linking Benin, Niger and Nigeria became a new hotbed of jihadist violence in 2025, marked by a sharp rise in attacks and a lasting presence of groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization, according to the NGO Acled, which tracks victims of conflicts worldwide.

"These displacements are taking place in the middle of agricultural work and were caused by a series of terrorist attacks that targeted villages in Loga in mid-July," a department located in the Dosso region, an official stationed in the area told AFP.

Survivors fled to the neighbouring region of Tahoua, close to Nigeria, while hundreds of others took refuge in Dogondoutchi, a large town located about 100 km from Loga, according to images from state television.

"The first attacks took place in at least three villages on July 17 and left dozens dead and wounded, all civilians," a local source told AFP.

State media attributed these attacks to "terrorists" and no official death toll has been released.

Nigerien authorities use the term "terrorists" to refer to jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State who are causing grief in this country, which has been ruled for three years by a military regime.

"Everything will be done to strengthen the security network allowing these displaced people to return to their villages to take care of their agricultural activities," assured Colonel Bana Alhassane, governor of the Dosso region, on television Friday, after visiting Loga to talk with displaced people.

"We will only consider returning to our villages when soldiers are deployed to ensure our safety," explained a representative of the displaced people on social media.

According to the UN, Niger had more than 450,000 internally displaced persons in 2025, so far concentrated in the three regions where jihadists have been active for a decade: Tillabéri (west), close to Burkina Faso and Mali which hosts 48%, followed by Diffa (southeast) with 32% and Tahoua (central-east) 12%.