Gunmen riding motorbikes have killed 22 villagers in western Niger, most of them attending a baptism ceremony on Tuesday.

The attack took place on Monday in Takoubatt village, Tillaberi region, near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, an area plagued by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

A local resident told AFP that 15 people were first killed at the baptism ceremony before the attackers moved to the outskirts of the village, where they shot dead seven more people.

According to reports, it described the incident as a “gruesome death toll of 22 innocent people cowardly killed without reason or justification.”

Human rights campaigner Maikoul Zodi also condemned the killings, writing on social media:

“Once again, the Tillaberi region has been struck by barbarism, plunging innocent families into mourning and despair.”

Niger’s military junta, which seized power in a coup two years ago, has struggled to contain jihadist violence in Tillaberi despite a heavy army presence. Around 20 soldiers were killed in the region just last week.

Human Rights Watch has urged authorities to do more to protect civilians, estimating that IS militants have “summarily executed” more than 127 villagers and Muslim worshippers in Tillaberi across five attacks since March.

The NGO ACLED, which tracks conflict worldwide, says some 1,800 people have been killed in attacks in Niger since October 2024, three-quarters of them in the Tillaberi region.

Niger, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, is now ruled by military leaders who have expelled French and American troops that were previously helping them fight jihadist groups.