Gunmen on motorbikes killed 22 people during an attack on a village in western Niger, most of them gathered for a baptism ceremony.

According to reports, the assault took place Monday in Takoubatt, a village in Tillabéri region near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.

A resident told Agence France-Presse that 15 people were killed at the ceremony before the attackers shot seven others on the village outskirts. Authorities confirmed an attack but did not release casualty figures.

The violence follows an ambush in Tillabéri last week that killed 14 Nigerien soldiers. About 20 others died in separate clashes in the region earlier in September.

While those responsible have not been identified, Tillabéri has been repeatedly targeted by groups connected to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented five attacks in the Tillabéri region since March in which IS in the Sahel Province fighters killed more than 127 villagers and worshippers, burned homes, and looted property. 

“No armed group has claimed responsibility for the five attacks that Human Rights Watch documented. However, witnesses said they believed the attackers were members of IS Sahel based on the villages targeted and the attackers’ attire, including turbans with red bands similar to those the armed group wore during previous attacks,” HRW said in its report. 

The group blamed authorities for the rising casualties, saying they failed to respond to warnings, ignored villagers’ pleas for help, and have not held those responsible accountable.

“Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW. “The government should take urgent steps to deter future atrocities, investigate serious abuses by IS Sahel and other armed groups, and bring those responsible to account based on international fair trial standards.”

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, Niger has seen 1,800 deaths since October 2024, with Tillabéri accounting for 75 percent of the casualties.