On April 17, 2021, Fulani militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked the Zarma village of Gaigorou in Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing nineteen civilians.

At the start of 2021, the Islamic 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.

[1] Gaigorou in particular has come under attack and threat by ISGS multiple times since January 2021, with the fighters seeking zakat from the villagers.

[2] A survivor stated to Human Rights Watch that the funeral was interrupted by the jihadists arriving on motorcycles, and many of the attendees ran away, leaving the old and sick to fend for themselves.

When our army fired a few mortar rounds, the jihadists panicked and sped off toward the Mali border.