On May 4, 2026, the community of Doungouro, situated in Niger’s Tillabéri region, experienced a profoundly tragic sequence of events. Following a lethal incursion by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS) that claimed four civilian lives, the subsequent response by the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) from the Kokorou commune escalated into a horrific slaughter. Operating under the guise of pursuing terrorists, these paramilitary auxiliaries indiscriminately targeted anyone wearing a turban. The grim toll stands at 32 fatalities, with 28 attributed directly to these militias, ironically tasked with safeguarding residents. This latest atrocity raises an urgent query: how long will the Nigerien junta permit these « DomolLeydi » forces to operate without accountability?
The deadly market and the ISIS-GS incursion
The early morning calm of Doungouro on Monday, May 4, a typical weekly market day, was shattered by the roar of motorcycles. Heavily armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS) stormed the village. Their dual objectives were to instill terror and seize supplies. Within moments, four innocent civilians were brutally killed in front of terrified market vendors. The attackers then looted all the livestock from the market square before retreating westward towards the Malian border. This swift operation starkly underscores the persistent security vulnerabilities in the “three borders” region, despite triumphant declarations from Niamey’s authorities.
VDP intervention: a doctrine of confusion
The true nightmare for the survivors began only after the terrorists had departed. Responding to alerts about the assault, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) from the adjacent Kokorou commune descended upon Doungouro. However, instead of the anticipated security, a blind rage engulfed the village. Upon arrival, these militiamen, often locally referred to as DomolLeydi, initiated a brutal purge based on an arbitrary and perilous criterion: the wearing of a turban. For these armed individuals, operating with questionable oversight and minimal training, anyone sporting the traditional attire of local traders and pastoralists was deemed a potential accomplice or even a disguised terrorist.
The resulting death toll is horrifying. Among the 28 individuals killed by VDP gunfire were several merchants from Téra – familiar faces and regular attendees of the Doungouro market, whose only misfortune was being present, dressed according to regional customs. An eyewitness who narrowly escaped the carnage recounted that the militiamen fired indiscriminately at anyone moving and wearing a turban, without interrogation or evidence. It was, in their words, a mass summary execution.
The DomolLeydi system: a ticking time bomb
The Doungouro tragedy starkly exposes profound weaknesses within the junta’s security framework. By heavily relying on civilian militias to compensate for the regular army’s shortcomings, the Niamey government has inadvertently unleashed a force it appears increasingly unable to control. While officially recognized, the VDP frequently operates within a complete legal and operational vacuum. Lacking a rigorous chain of command and consistent oversight from professional military personnel on the ground, these groups routinely descend into communal abuses. In Doungouro, the blatant shift towards ethnic and attire-based profiling is undeniable.
Since the coup d’état, official rhetoric has encouraged citizens to defend themselves. Yet, arming civilians without instilling respect for the laws of war and human rights is a formula for catastrophe. The junta, quick to condemn foreign interference, remains conspicuously silent regarding the atrocities committed by its own auxiliaries. The Doungouro massacre is not an isolated event; it is part of a pattern of missteps that are eroding trust between civilian populations and defense forces.
The urgency of radical reassessment
By targeting merchants and vendors, the VDP merely intensifies the pervasive sense of insecurity, ironically pushing certain marginalized communities into the embrace of terrorist armed groups who then present themselves as protectors. Niger cannot hope to win this conflict by turning against its own populace. The transitional government must urgently launch an independent investigation into the events at Doungouro and bring those responsible for the summary executions to justice.
It is crucial to fundamentally reassess the operational protocols for these volunteers, prohibiting any operations without the direct presence of regular forces. Furthermore, an end must be put to systematic profiling based on ethnicity or attire, which severely undermines national cohesion. Should no action be taken, Doungouro will remain a harrowing emblem of a bloody descent where the state, through its militias, ultimately inflicts more harm upon civilians than the terrorists themselves. The families of the 32 victims demand answers. The lives lost on that grim Monday are not mere collateral damage; they are the sacrificed witnesses of a security strategy gone tragically awry.