‘Gross abuses’: Armed groups killing, recruiting in Niger

Human rights group Amnesty urges government to take urgent action, warning of the ‘devastating impact on children’.

An increasing number of children are being killed and abducted in Niger as the conflict in the country’s western Tillaberi region, bordering Mali and Burkina Faso, has worsened significantly, a human rights group said on Monday. “Niger is at a precipice. In parts of the country an entire generation is growing up surrounded by death and destruction,” Amnesty International’s Matt Wells said while highlighting the release of a 57-page report. “The Nigerien government and its international partners must urgently take action to monitor and prevent further abuses across Tillaberi region and protect the basic rights of all those affected by this deadly conflict – especially children.”