The Kouré shooting was a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

that occurred in

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

on 9 August 2020. The attack left at least 8

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

s dead, six

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and two Nigeriens. The attack took place in Kouré, a rural community in

Tillabéri Region Tillabéri (var. ''Tillabéry'') is one of the seven regions of Niger. The capital of the region is Tillabéri. Tillabéri Region was created in 1992, when Niamey Region was split, with Niamey and its immediate hinterland becoming a new ''capital ...

Background

Tillabéri Region, which is in the west of Niger and borders

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

and

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

, is largely unstable and has been used as a hideout by various Sahel jihadist groups including the

Islamic State in the Greater Sahara Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(ISGS). Since 2018, these terrorist groups have spread throughout the Sahel region, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of military personnel and civilians in sporadic attacks. As a result of the attacks, the region has seen extensive developments in security, such as the construction of a new U.S. airbase. In an effort to combat the terrorists, the Nigerien government also restricted the use of motorcycles in January 2019. Despite this, parts of Tillaberi and Tahoua Regions remain under a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

and the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

warns people against visiting vast areas of Niger.

Shooting

The shooting occurred around 11:30am (10:30 GMT) six kilometres (four miles) east of the town of Kouré, Kollo Department, Tillabéri Region, where a

wildlife park A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals. A safari park ...

is located. The region is visited by tourists and purportedly hosts the last

West African giraffe The West African giraffe (''Giraffa peralta'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis peralta''), also known as the Niger giraffe, is a species or subspecies of the giraffe distinguished by its light colored spots. Its last self-sustaining herd is in southwe ...

s. Eight people were killed in the attack. The victims were identified as two Nigeriens, of whom one was the president of the guides at the park while the other was the driver of the group, both aged 50; the other six were French citizens, all of whom aid workers aged between 25 and 30. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Seven of the victims were shot dead, while the French woman who initially escaped was later kidnapped and murdered; an empty

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

was found at the scene. "They

he attackers He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...

came on motorcycles through the bush and waited for the arrival of the tourists" said the governor.

References

2020 mass shootings in Africa 2020 murders in Niger 21st-century mass murder in Africa August 2020 crimes in Africa Mass murder in 2020 Mass murder in Niger Terrorist incidents in Niger in 2020 Terrorist incidents in Niger Tillabéri Region {{terrorism-stub

Background

Shooting

See also

References