Hundreds have fled jihadist attacks in southwest Niger — officials

Hundreds of people have fled their homes in southwest Niger after a series of attacks in mid-July against their villages, state media and local sources say.

The movement of so many people is unprecedented in this part of Dosso, a region that borders Nigeria and Benin.

The border zone became the site of fresh jihadist violence in 2025, as groups affiliated with the al-Qaeda movement and the Islamic State group moved into the territory, according to conflict monitor ACLED.

One official in the region says the villagers were forced to flee “right in the middle of the farming season because of “a series of terrorist attacks” in mid-July.

Some survivors fled to the neighboring region of Tahoua, near the Nigerian border, while hundreds of others have taken refuge in Dogondoutchi, a major town about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, state television reports.

“The first attacks happened in at least three villages on July 17 and left several dozen dead and wounded, all civilians,” a local source tells AFP.

According to the United Nations, Niger has more than 450,000 internally displaced people who have fled jihadist violence.