Niger: Attack on aid workers strikes fear

Six French aid workers employed by the French NGO ACTED climbed into a white, marked Toyota Land Cruiser for a day-trip to Niger's Koure Giraffe Reserve. The reserve is well known among expats in the capital Niamey and hailed as a conservation success story.

A local working as an ACTED driver was behind the wheel for the hour-long drive and the president of the Association of Giraffe Guides of Koure, Kadri Abdou, joined the group too.  

Their SUV passed a Nigerien military check-point without hassle, and informed Niamey they were safely in the reserve. But within an hour, the excursion was ambushed by armed men on motorbikes.

Most of the victims were killed execution-style. Their bodies were left in the sand near the burnt out Land Cruiser.

Shocking brutality

The attack on Sunday was as shocking in its brutality as it was unforeseen. No one has claimed responsibility.

A source close to Niger's environmental services said the assault took place at around 11:30 a.m. local time (1030 GMT), 6 kilometers (4 miles) east of the nearest town, Koure.

"We do not know the identity of the attackers but they came on motorcycles through the bush and waited for the arrival," the source told AFP.

ACTED is one of the biggest French NGOs in Niger, and has been active in the country since since 2010. The NGO distributes aid to displaced people and local populations vulnerable to regional conflict, hunger and drought.

It called the attack "senseless and cowardly" in a statement. 

'Useless' foreign forces

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou pledged to clarify the circumstances of the deadly attack by "all means''. On Monday, a joint military operation was launched in the Koure region to search for the perpetrators.

"It's completely incomprehensible that these aid workers were allowed to travel without an escort. It also shows how useless the presence of foreign forces is," Boubacar Diallo, a security expert in Niamey told DW.

Violence linked to Islamic State, al-Qaida and Boko Haram is on the rise in the Sahel region, which includes Niger. Former colonial power France launched a coalition of West African and European allies in June to fight Islamist militants. France has deployed 5,100 soldiers to help fight the growing insurgency in the Sahel, and a local Sahel force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania has also been fighting the extremists.

Read more: France to boost military troops in Africa's Sahel to counter terrorism

Macron will hold a defense council on Tuesday focusing on the situation in Niger. 

Diallo is doubtful whether this will help.

"For real security, we need  regional authorities to negotiate with the leaders of the terrorist groups," he explains. 

A loss for conservation

The attack has also struck the flourishing giraffe conservation program based at Koure. 

Around 20 years ago, a small herd of West African giraffes, a subspecies distinguished by their lighter colour, found a safe haven from poachers and predators in the Koure area. Today the giraffes number in their hundreds and are a key tourist attraction, enjoying the protection of local people and conservation groups.

On Facebook, the Giraffe Guides Association of Koure paid tribute their president, Kadri Abdou, who was also killed. The attack was the first of its kind ever in the park. 

A Western humanitarian source based in Niamey told AFP: "We all go to Koure on weekend outings because it's very easy to access." .

"Everyone goes there, even ambassadors, diplomats, teachers...it is not considered a dangerous zone at all. There are NGOs protecting giraffes there."

The attack has changed this perception, says Diallo. 

"The first consequence is psychological. It shows no region in Niger is safe from terror attacks," says Diallo.

With the capital relatively well-fortified and so close, Diallo says, it's surprising that such a bold attack could happen in the area. However, he adds that with international, national and regional security forces mobilised, the terror groups have become dispersed.

"Koure is a wooded are which is a perfect hiding place for armed groups. The danger is they will use places like as bases to launch attacks."

Civil organization leader Nassirou Seidou of 'Voice of the Voiceless' said the outcry after the attack shows "Western countries only take notice when it concerns their citizens in Niger." 

Read more: Anti-French sentiment on the rise in West Africa as security situation deteriorates

However, Seidou believes the Nigerien state had failed to build confidence in the Nigerien government within local communities.

"The region is free of motorcycles, yet the attackers came on motorcycles. Perhaps, there is local complicity in that people do not denounce the attacker," he explains. 

The Nigerien government has banned motorcyles in parts of the country to stop extremists carrying out attacks. But such measures have hardly solved any root causes of the conflict. 

"Today, Nigerien citizens don't feel safe in their own country, and see the government as unjust and corrupt, and that it cannot protect them," Seidou says. 

Boukari Salissou and Nafissa Amadou contributed to this article.