Human Rights Watch has raised the alarm about the increased extremist violence in Niger, and the fact that Islamic State related fighters have killed 127 civilians in the Tillaberi region since March. The rights group reported that five villages were attacked in separate incidents, which is one of the worst attacks waves in the region this year.
Already struggling with instability since the coup of last year, the Sahel nation also has to endure an ever-increasing cross-border insurgency despite military crackdowns. Analysts caution that the escalating violence reflects a failure by the state to safeguard the rural areas, where militias are taking advantage of loosely guarded borders and ineffective governance to entrench themselves in areas
