Human Rights Watch has accused Niger’s military of carrying out a drone strike that killed at least 17 civilians, including children, at a crowded market in the country’s troubled west, near the border with Burkina Faso.

The rights group said the attack took place in the village of Kokoloko in the Tillaberi region, a vast and volatile area where Niger’s borders meet those of Burkina Faso and Mali. The region has become a stronghold for armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, who have waged a brutal insurgency for nearly a decade.

According to Human Rights Watch, witnesses described a drone circling over Kokoloko twice on the morning of the strike before releasing its munition as hundreds of people gathered at the local market. The explosion tore through the crowd, killing at least 17 civilians, among them four children, and injuring at least 13 others.

The organisation said three Islamist fighters were also killed in the blast, but stressed that the presence of combatants did not justify an attack that caused such extensive civilian casualties. It said the strike appeared to violate the laws of war, which prohibit indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between civilians and fighters, and warned that the incident “might amount to a war crime.”

Kokoloko lies about 120 kilometres west of the capital, Niamey, and less than three kilometres from the Burkina Faso border. The area has seen repeated clashes between security forces and jihadist groups, as well as attacks on villages, markets and transport routes.

Niger’s military rulers, who seized power in a coup in 2023, have pledged to restore security and have deployed significant forces to Tillaberi. Yet violence has persisted, with civilians often caught between jihadist attacks and counterinsurgency operations.

The Islamic State group recently claimed responsibility for an attack targeting Niamey’s airport, underscoring the reach of insurgents even into heavily guarded zones.

Human Rights Watch has called on Niger’s authorities to investigate the Kokoloko strike, identify those responsible, and provide compensation to victims and their families. It also urged the military to review its targeting procedures for drone operations to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law and to prevent further civilian deaths.