Niger: Türk says egregious mosque attack should be wake-up call

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned the recent attack on a mosque in western Niger, in which at least 44 worshippers were killed and scores injured.

Assailants from the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara surrounded Fambita Mosque on 21 March and randomly shot at the worshippers. They then set a market and several homes on fire.

“The egregious attack on the Fambita Mosque – during Friday prayers in the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – was clearly intended to cause as many civilian casualties as possible, in stark violation of international human rights law and humanitarian law,” said Türk.

“The authorities must institute a thorough and impartial investigation into this horrific attack and to bring those responsible to justice, in accordance with international standards.”

The attack, in Kokorou village, in the Tillaberi region, came in the context of a general deterioration in the security situation in the wider Sahel region.

“The calculated assault on Fambita Mosque at such an important time for Muslims, should be a wake-up call to all, including the international community, as to the seriousness of the situation and the widening risks faced by civilians in Niger,” said Türk.

“I call on the Nigerien authorities to take concrete and meaningful steps with the assistance of the international community to improve security for civilians and to prevent a repetition of any such attack.”

The UN Human Rights Chief also called on them to take effective measures to uphold human rights and the rule of law, to protect civilians and to involve the communities affected by the violence in efforts towards finding a durable solution to the ongoing human rights crisis in the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

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