On Monday, May 4, 2026, the village of Doungouro, located in the Tillabéri region, became the site of a devastating double tragedy. Following a lethal raid by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) that claimed the lives of four civilians, an intervention by the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) from the Kokorou commune escalated into a massacre. Under the guise of hunting terrorists, these military auxiliaries targeted individuals indiscriminately based on their attire. The final death toll stands at 32, with 28 of those deaths attributed to the very militia tasked with protecting the population. This latest slaughter raises urgent questions about the Niger junta’s willingness to allow these “DomolLeydi” groups to operate without accountability.
The market raid and the ISGS incursion
Dawn had barely broken over Doungouro on that fateful Monday when the roar of motorcycles disrupted the peace of the weekly market day. Heavily armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara stormed the area with a clear mission: to spread fear and seize supplies. Within minutes, four civilians were executed in front of terrified vendors. The attackers then rounded up all the livestock at the market before retreating westward toward the border with Mali. This rapid operation serves as a grim reminder that the tri-border region remains a security vacuum, despite the confident rhetoric coming from authorities in Niamey.
VDP intervention: a doctrine of confusion
The true nightmare for the survivors began only after the terrorists had departed. Alerted to the initial raid, VDP members from the neighboring Kokorou commune arrived in Doungouro. However, instead of providing the expected security, they unleashed blind violence upon the village. Upon arrival, the militia—often referred to locally as DomolLeydi—began a purge based on a dangerous and arbitrary criterion: the wearing of a turban. For these poorly trained and loosely supervised armed men, anyone wearing the traditional headgear of local traders and herders was viewed as a collaborator or a disguised insurgent.
The consequences were horrific. Among the 28 people killed by the VDP were several merchants who had traveled from Téra. These were well-known figures and regulars at the Doungouro market whose only “crime” was being present at the wrong time while dressed in traditional regional clothing. One survivor reported that the militia opened fire on anyone moving who wore a turban, without asking questions or seeking evidence. It was described as a mass summary execution.
The DomolLeydi system: a ticking time bomb
The tragedy in Doungouro exposes significant flaws in the security strategy adopted by the Niger junta. By relying heavily on citizen militias to fill gaps in the regular army, the government in Niamey has empowered a force it can no longer control. Although officially recognized, the VDP often operate in a legal and operational gray area. Without a strict chain of command or the constant presence of career military officers to oversee field operations, these groups frequently descend into communal and ethnic profiling. In Doungouro, the shift toward targeting individuals based on ethnicity and clothing was unmistakable.
Since the coup, official messaging has encouraged the population to take up their own defense. However, providing weapons to civilians without instilling a respect for the laws of war and human rights is a recipe for catastrophe. While the junta is quick to condemn foreign 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 urgent need for radical reform
By targeting traders and market-goers, the VDP are inadvertently heightening the sense of insecurity and potentially driving marginalized communities toward armed terrorist groups, who then present themselves as protectors. Niger cannot win this conflict by turning against its own citizens. The transitional government must conduct an independent investigation into the events at Doungouro and ensure those responsible for the summary executions face justice.
It is now essential to rethink how these volunteers operate, specifically by banning any missions that do not include direct supervision by regular forces. Furthermore, the systematic profiling based on ethnicity or dress must end to preserve national unity. If no action is taken, Doungouro will remain a symbol of a violent downward spiral where the state, through its militias, inflicts more harm on civilians than the terrorists themselves. The families of the 32 victims deserve answers; these individuals were not mere collateral damage, but victims of a failing security strategy.
