At least 16 civilians in Nigeria’s north-western Zamfara State have been killed in a military air strike, apparently after being mistaken for criminal gangs.

Residents told local media the victims were members of local vigilante groups and civilians defending themselves from armed gangs notorious for kidnapping people for ransom.

The strikes targeted militant gangs in Zurmi and Maradun areas and the state governor, Dauda Lawal, offered his condolences to the community.

The military has acknowledged conducting air strikes, which it said had dealt “a decisive blow to bandits terrorising villages in the area”.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it was investigating “reports of vigilante losses”.

“While the operation successfully eliminated several bandits and led to the recovery of some kidnap victims, the NAF views with grave concern reports of the loss of civilian lives in the course of the operation,” it said in a statement.

It said an ongoing “comprehensive investigation” would ascertain the truth of the matter, which would be “communicated to inform and reassure the public”.

The AFP news agency quoted a local as saying that the civilians were returning to their villages after chasing away bandits when they were bombed.

The villagers “recovered 16 bodies from the attacks and took several other people with severe injuries to the hospital”, Sa’idu Ibrahim was quoted as saying.

Rights group Amnesty International Nigeria put the death toll at 20 and said dozens of others were injured in the attack on Tunga Kara village, and called on authorities to “immediately and impartially” investigate the incident.

“Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard. Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect,” it said in a statement.

In recent years, Nigeria’s security forces have been fighting powerful criminal gangs, known as bandits, who have been terrorising north-west and central states. The bandits raid villages, burn homes and kill and abduct residents for ransom.

Several accidental air strikes have occurred in recent months including a Christmas Day attack that killed at least 10 civilians in neighbouring Sokoto state.

In 2023, at least 85 civilians, mostly women and children, attending a Muslim religious gathering at a village in Kaduna state were killed after they were mistaken for bandits.

In January 2017, at least 112 people were killed when a jet struck a camp housing 40,000 people who had been displaced by jihadist violence in a town near the Cameroonian border.

[BBC]

Two trams collided at Strasbourg’s central station on Saturday, injuring 68 people, authorities said.

Reports said that one tram, which had been stopped, moved backwards down a slope for unknown reasons, colliding with another tram that was stationary.

Videos and photos posted on social media showed two trams containing dozens of people inside. One video shows smoke rising and chaotic scenes as an alarm sounds.

A spokesman for the prefecture said an investigation into the cause of the accident has been opened and no fatalities have been confirmed. Prosecutors said the collision was not deliberate.

One eyewitness named Johan told AFP news agency that he saw one of the trams reversing at speed, adding: “We heard a big impact, a big bang.”

Another eyewitness told BFM TV that the doors of the tram flew off on impact.

The outlet reported that a large security perimeter was set up in front of the station.

The Bas-Rhin region’s Fire and Rescue Service posted on X urging people to avoid the area to allow emergency services to access the area.

The service’s director Rene Cellier said some of the non-fatal injuries reported were “mostly trauma”, but also include scalp wounds, clavicle fractures, and knee sprains.

“There are also around 100 people who have no particular injuries but are being seen by the doctors,” Cellier said.

He added that around 50 vehicles and 130 firefighters were dispatched to the scene and that the situation “could have been much more serious”.

Emmanuel Auneau, the director of the CTS – which is responsible for managing public transport in Strasbourg – said the two tram drivers were “not physically injured, but are very shocked”.

(BBC)

The Austrian foreign ministry says a female citizen has been taken by unknown assailants in the military-ran West African country, Niger.

It confirmed the incident to AFP and said they were aware of the “possible kidnapping of an Austrian woman” in Agadez which is 900 km (559 miles) from the capital Niamey.

The woman was reportedly forced into a 4×4 vehicle by unidentified individuals in Fada district, Agadez, on the edge of the Sahara Desert, reported Reuters news agency.

The victim, named Eva Gretzmacher, is a development worker in her mid-70’s and had lived in Niger for over two decades, according to local media site, Air Info Agadez.

Niger has not yet commented on the incident.

Air Info reported kidnappers showed up at Ms Gretzmacher’s house with a gun and forced their way in. They did not take anything else, reports said.

Ms Gretzmacher is said to have run projects in the areas of education, health, women’s empowerment and culture.

The Austrian foreign ministry said they are working with the EU delegation and authorities on the ground.

Niger has been battling an Islamist insurgency for years.

The military junta is under pressure for failing to curb militant attacks, one of its justifications for deposing democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.

Niger, along with its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, is grappling with attacks from groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Since the coup, Niger has urged France and other Western powers to withdraw their military bases and formed a security alliance with junta-led neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.

(BBC)