Gunmen kill 6 French tourists, 2 others in Niger

Gunmen have killed six French tourists and two Nigeriens in a wildlife park in Niger.

While confirming this on Sunday August 9, 2020, an official stated that the gunmen were on motorcycle when they carried out the attack.

The attackers struck in a giraffe reserve in the West African country’s Kouré area, the governor of Tillaberi, Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella, told Reuters.

It was reported that the two Nigeriens were working as the tourists’ guide and driver.

The French foreign ministry said it was making checks into reports of the attack.

The French government warns people against travelling to large parts of Niger where militant groups including Boko Haram and affiliates of ISIS operate.

The Koure Giraffe Reserve southeast of the capital Niamey is a popular attraction in Niger, a huge country that borders seven countries in an unstable region including Libya, Mali, Chad and Nigeria.

Militants linked to ISIS killed four US soldiers in an ambush in Niger in Oct. 2017, an attack that increased scrutiny of the US counter-terrorism operations there.

France, a former colonial power in the region, also launched a coalition of West African and European allies in June to fight militants in the Sahel region that includes Niger.

It has deployed thousands of troops in the arid region south of the Sahara desert since 2013.

But violence by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS has been on the rise.