Gunmen kill 15 policemen in Niger attack

Fifteen police officers were killed in an attack by armed men on a gendarmerie station in southwest Niger, near the country's borders with Nigeria and Benin. Local sources reported the incident on Saturday, identifying the location as near Tessa in the Dosso region.

While the perpetrators have not been officially identified, local officials suggested they likely came from neighboring Nigeria. The attack is the latest in a region that has been increasingly plagued by jihadist violence, with groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group active in the area.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show burnt-out vehicles and damaged structures within the gendarmerie compound. The victims were buried on Saturday in Dosso. Niger, currently under military junta rule, has faced persistent jihadist insurgencies and a series of kidnappings of Western nationals in recent years.

This incident follows a series of attacks against villages in the region in mid-July, which prompted hundreds of people to flee their homes. Conflict monitors note that the border zone has seen a resurgence of jihadist activity since 2025, as militant groups have moved into the territory.

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who probably came from neighbouring Nigeria