| August 2021 Darey-Daye massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part ofJihadist insurgency in Niger | |
| Location | Darey-Daye,Tillaberi Region,Niger |
| Date | August 16, 2021 |
| Deaths | 37 |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
On August 16, 2021, Militants attacked the town ofDarey-Daye,Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing at least 37 people. The massacre was the second major attack on Darey-Daye in 2021, after a massacre by the ISGS in March killed 66 people.[1]
At the start of 2021, theIslamic State in the Greater Sahara, a predominantly Fulani organization based in the tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, began attacking civilian areas, especially with non-Fulani populations. The first major attack was theTchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres that killed 105 people, and on the same day of the attack in Darey-Daye, ISGS fighters in Mali killed thirty-three Malian soldiers during thebattle of Tessit.[2]
In March 2021, Militants attacked buses carrying civilians betweenChinagodrar and Darey-Daye, killing sixty-six people and targetingZarma men and boys.[1] The attack on Darey-Daye was followed by anattack on four villages inTillia a week later that killed 137 people.[1]
At the time of the massacre, civilians in Darey-Daye were tending to their fields when jihadists arrived on motorbikes.[3][4] The attack occurred shortly after Friday prayer, and the perpetrators shot indiscriminately at the farmers, killing fourteen children.[5] The Nigerien Ministry of Defense stated on August 17 that 37 people were killed in the massacre.[4][6] Nigerien officials also mandated 48 hours of mourning and flags to be placed at half-mast.[4]
ISGS did not immediately claim responsibility for the massacre, although were suspected by Nigerien officials and analysts.[7]