Niger has declared Wednesday a day of mourning for 58 civilians massacred.

The government said the attack took place on Monday in the north-west of the country in the Tillaberi region on the border with Mali.

The attack was directed at traders returning from a nearby market.

There are no details available about who carried out the attack. No group has claimed responsibility so far.

Terrorist groups with allegiance to al-Qaeda or Islamic State are active in the countries of the Sahel region.

The government has little control outside the cities, which is exploited by jihadist groups and by criminal networks.

In the border region with Mali, in particular, there have been repeated attacks, in one, on the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye, more than 100 people were killed while many were injured early this year.

The extremists had previously staged mass attacks on Niger’s military in the Tillaberi region, killing more than 70 in December 2019 and more than 89 in January 2020.

It is near the area where four U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed along with five Nigerien colleagues in 2017.

(dpa/NAN)