Gunmen on motorbikes killed 22 people, including 15 at a baptism ceremony, in Niger’s Tillabéri region near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders.

Local activists described the attack as a massacre that spread to nearby areas, while authorities confirmed an incident but gave no casualty figures.

The assault highlights worsening jihadist violence by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which has surged since March and left over 127 villagers dead, according to Human Rights Watch.

Just days earlier, 14 Nigerien soldiers were ambushed and killed in the same region, the BBC has reported.

Niger’s military government, in power since 2023, has struggled to contain the insurgency despite forming a regional alliance with Mali and Burkina Faso and seeking support from Russia and Turkey after expelling Western forces.