Petel Kole attack
Part of Jihadist insurgency in Niger
Location	Petel Kole border outpost, Niger
Date	March 17, 2022
Deaths	21 killed 19 civilians killed 2 policemen killed
Injured	5
Perpetrator	Islamic State – Sahil Province (per ACLED)

On March 17, 2022, suspected Islamic State - Sahel Province militants attacked a bus traveling from Burkina Faso to Téra, Niger, in the Nigerien village of Petel Kole, killing at least twenty-one people including two Nigerien police officers.

Prelude

Throughout the jihadist insurgency in Niger, the Burkinabe-Nigerien border, in particular the tripoint area between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has been a hotbed of jihadist violence by groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (which renamed to IS - Sahel in March 2022).^[1] The Petel Kole border post, directly on the border between Burkina Faso and Niger, has seen several attacks by ISGS since the jihadist insurgency spread to Niger.^[2] An October 2021 attack killed three Nigerien police officers and wounded several others at Petel Kole.^[2]

Attack

As the bus reached the border post from Burkina Faso, several attackers on motorcycles drove up to the bus and set fire to it.^[3] The bus was carrying dozens of people, and lots of fruits and vegetables at the time.^[2] In the attack, nineteen civilians on the bus were killed, and two policemen manning the border post were killed in the fire as well.^[4] Two others were killed whenever the truck behind the bus caught fire as well.^[2] Five people were injured, including a policemen, and the wounded were sent to Niamey for treatment. Seven people also managed to escape the bus, including four women and three men.^[2]

Aftermath

Nigerien security sources claimed to have recaptured the Petel Kole border post after the attack, and deployed reinforcements to the area.^[3] The Nigerien Modern Transport Company, which owns the bus that was attacked, announced a halt in bus departures between Niger and Burkina Faso after the attack.^[2]

References