A military drone strike in Niger has left at least 17 civilians dead, including four children, with 13 others injured during an attack on a crowded market in the western part of the country. The incident, which also resulted in the deaths of three Islamist militants, occurred on January 6, 2026, in the village of Kokoloko, located in the Tillabéri region, approximately 120 kilometers west of the capital, Niamey, and just under three kilometers from the border with Burkina Faso.
The strike, allegedly carried out by a Nigerien military drone, has raised serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks, which may constitute war crimes. The Islamic State in the Sahel (ISIS), a militant group active in the area for several years, has been linked to frequent attacks against both military and civilian targets in Niger since 2019.
witness accounts and damage assessment
Human Rights Watch conducted interviews with 15 individuals, including six witnesses and representatives from local and international NGOs, journalists, and residents of Kokoloko. The organization also analyzed and geolocated three videos posted online that depict the aftermath of the attack, alongside satellite imagery from the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), which recorded active fires in Kokoloko at 1:31 PM local time on the day of the strike.
Witnesses described seeing a white drone flying over Kokoloko twice before dropping a munition on the market around 1:30 PM, when hundreds of people were present. One survivor, a 36-year-old merchant, recounted hearing a whistling sound followed by a massive explosion. The market, bustling with women and children selling rice, meat soup, and other goods, was devastated by the blast, which ignited fires fueled by market stalls and fuel supplies, rapidly spreading flames across the area.
Residents reported that three ISIS militants, dressed in civilian clothing with turbans and unarmed, were present in the market at the time of the strike, while three others were in the village. Earlier that morning, six armed ISIS fighters, including those with Kalashnikovs and a machine gun, had arrived in the village, with three heading to the market to shop before the attack.
Burnt and charred bodies made identification difficult. A 67-year-old religious leader who returned to the market around 6 PM counted 17 bodies, mostly women and children. The bodies were buried in mass graves, with women and children placed together in one pit and men in another. The ISIS fighters assisted in recovering the bodies.
international law and accountability
According to international humanitarian law, parties involved in armed conflicts must distinguish between combatants and civilians at all times and avoid targeting civilians. Indiscriminate attacks, such as the drone strike on Kokoloko’s crowded market, are illegal under the laws of war. If the attack was carried out with criminal intent—either deliberately or recklessly—it may amount to a war crime.
Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher for the Sahel at Human Rights Watch, emphasized the need for a transparent and impartial investigation. She stated, “The military strike in Niger that killed three Islamist militants also resulted in numerous civilian casualties and injuries at a market, violating the laws of war. Nigerien authorities must ensure a thorough investigation, hold those responsible to account, and provide adequate compensation to victims and their families.”
The Nigerien military junta, which seized power in a coup in July 2023, has not publicly commented on the drone strike. Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the junta’s cabinet detailing its findings and requesting responses to specific questions but has yet to receive a reply.
displacement and humanitarian impact
Following the attack, nearly all 1,200 residents of Kokoloko fled to nearby villages or crossed the border into Mali. A woman who lost her 50-year-old cousin and 5-year-old nephew in the strike recounted spending the first night in a nearby village with her children before crossing into Mali with almost nothing.
The list of casualties compiled by residents includes 11 women aged 29 to 50, two men aged 32 and 55, and four children aged 5 to 10. The injured included four women aged 28 to 45, seven men aged 23 to 62, and two children aged 14 and 15. The ISIS militants’ bodies were also recovered and buried by the group.
regional context and ongoing conflict
The Tillabéri region has been a hotspot for violence, with Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) reporting in 2025 that it recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in the central Sahel due to attacks by ISIS, the Nigerien military, and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group.
This incident is not isolated. In September 2025, reports emerged of Nigerien military airstrikes on a weekly market in the village of Injar, Tillabéri region, killing over 30 civilians in an attack targeting suspected militants. Similarly, in January 2024, drone strikes in the village of Tiawa, also in Tillabéri, resulted in civilian casualties.
Allegrozzi urged foreign governments supporting the Nigerien military to pressure authorities to adopt measures to protect local populations. She added, “The government must provide essential services to those affected, help them recover from their injuries and trauma, and offer adequate compensation to victims and their families.”
