On Monday, May 4, 2026, the village of Doungouro, located in the Tillabéri region, became the site of a double catastrophe. Following a lethal raid by the État Islamique au Grand Sahara (EIGS) that claimed the lives of four civilians, an intervention by the Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie (VDP) from the Kokorou district escalated into a bloodbath. Under the guise of hunting down insurgents, these military auxiliaries targeted individuals indiscriminately based on their attire. The final toll reached 32 fatalities, with 28 of those deaths attributed to the very militia tasked with protecting the local population. This recent slaughter raises urgent questions regarding the impunity granted to these DomolLeydi groups by the authorities in Niger.
The initial raid by EIGS on market day
The dawn had barely broken over Doungouro when the silence of the weekly market day was shattered by the roar of motorcycle engines. Heavily armed militants from the État Islamique au Grand Sahara invaded the area with a clear objective: to spread fear and seize supplies. Within moments, four civilians were executed in front of terrified traders. The attackers then rounded up all the livestock in the marketplace before retreating westward toward the border with Mali. This swift operation highlights the persistent security vulnerabilities in the tri-border zone, contrasting sharply with the optimistic rhetoric from Niamey.
The VDP intervention: a deadly confusion
For the survivors of the first attack, the true nightmare began only after the terrorists had vanished. Alerted to the situation, the Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie from the neighboring Kokorou commune arrived in Doungouro. However, instead of providing the expected security, the militia unleashed a wave of blind violence. Upon arrival, the DomolLeydi fighters initiated a purge based on a superficial and dangerous criterion: the wearing of a turban. For these poorly trained and loosely supervised gunmen, anyone wearing the traditional headgear of local herders and merchants was viewed as a hidden terrorist or a collaborator.
The consequences were devastating. Among the 28 victims killed by the VDP were several traders who had traveled from Téra. These were well-known figures in the community whose only “crime” was being present at the market while dressed in their cultural attire. A witness who narrowly escaped the massacre described how the militia opened fire on anyone moving while wearing a turban, without any form of questioning or evidence. It was, in his words, a massive summary execution.
The DomolLeydi system as a growing threat
The events in Doungouro expose the deep flaws in the current security strategy of the ruling junta. By relying heavily on civilian militias to compensate for the regular army’s limitations, the government in Niamey has empowered a force it can no longer regulate. While the VDP are officially recognized, they frequently operate in a legal and operational vacuum. Without a strict chain of command or the oversight of professional soldiers, these groups often descend into communal and ethnic profiling. In Doungouro, the shift toward targeting specific groups based on appearance was undeniable.
Since the change in power, official messaging has encouraged citizens to take up arms for self-defense. However, arming civilians without instilling a respect for human rights and the laws of war is a recipe for catastrophe. While the junta is quick to criticize external interference, it remains noticeably silent regarding the atrocities committed by its own auxiliaries. The Doungouro massacre is not an isolated event; it is part of a pattern of abuses that are destroying the trust between the civilian population and the defense forces.
The necessity for a radical policy shift
By targeting merchants and local traders, the VDP are inadvertently fueling insecurity and driving marginalized communities into the arms of extremist groups, who then present themselves as alternative protectors. Niger cannot achieve peace by turning its weapons against its own citizens. The transitional government must launch an independent investigation into the Doungouro killings and ensure those responsible for the summary executions face justice.
It is now crucial to redefine how these volunteers operate, perhaps by mandating that they never engage in missions without the direct presence of regular military units. Furthermore, the systematic profiling based on ethnicity or clothing must end to preserve national unity. Without these changes, Doungouro will stand as a grim reminder of a failing security strategy where state-sponsored militias cause more harm to the people than the terrorists they were meant to fight.
