At least 100 heavily armed assailants riding motorbikes attacked a South West village in Niger on Sunday leaving 49 people dead.

In a televised statement, Niger’s Ministry of Defence said five civilians were killed in the attack as well as four soldiers and 40 armed defenders in Niger’s, on edge, southwest region near the border with Mali.

Tchoma Bangou village was struck around 3 pm on Sunday. No group has claimed the attack as yet.

According to the Ministry, defense forces acted promptly and managed to seize motorcycles and a collection of weapons, including AK47s and machine guns.

The “prompt and vigorous reaction” by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), “made it possible to repel the attack and inflict heavy losses on the enemy”, the ministry said.

Tchoma Bangou is located in the Tillaberi region, which has been in a state of emergency since 2017 with terrorism rife in the area. It borders Mali and Burkina Faso, an area known as “the three borders” that has been the target for militia groups for years. Motorbikes have been banned in this region.

One of the poorest countries in the world, the African nation has had to battle terrorism for years on both South Western and South-Eastern borders that has left trails of devastation and killed hundreds of people. In January this year, 70 civilians were killed by gunmen in the same village of Tchoma Bangou and 30 in the neighbouring village of Zaroumadareye. Thousands have been forced to flee.

More than 300 people have been killed in a series of deadly attacks recently

By Naadiya Adams