Niger: Suspected jihadist attack kills 'at least 137'

Gunmen, believed to be jihadists, have raided villages near Niger's border with Mali shooting "at everything that moved," local officials have said.

The death toll in an attack on villages in southwestern Niger rose to at least 137 people, a government spokesman said Monday.

It constitutes the deadliest suspected jihadist massacre to hit the African nation in recent times.

"In treating civilian populations systematically as targets now, these armed bandits have gone a step further into horror and brutality," government spokesman Zakaria Abdourahamane said in a statement on public television.

The government revised the death toll of the attack, which was previously estimated to be 60.

What happened in the attack in Niger?

Armed men on motorbikes struck the villages of Intazayene, Bakorat, and Wistane near the border with Mali, shooting "at everything which moved," a local official said.

"The government condemns these brutal acts perpetrated by individuals who know neither faith nor the law," the government spokesman said.

He also announced three days of national mourning starting Tuesday, adding that the government vowed to reinforce security in the region and bring "the perpetrators of these cowardly and criminal acts" to justice.

Rising extremist attacks

Sunday's massacre comes amid an escalation in attacks following the election of President Mohamed Bazoum weeks earlier. His election was confirmed by the country's constitutional court on Sunday.

Last week, 66 people were killed in a similar attack that took place in the Tillaberi region, a "tri-border area" where the frontiers of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali converge.

President Bazoum offered his condolences to the family of the victims in a tweet on Monday.

"After the Banibangou massacre, yesterday the terrorists, in the same barbaric way, struck the peaceful civilian populations of Intazayene and Bakorat," he said.

The attack also brought back memories of January's massacre — one of the worst in Niger's history — which left 100 people dead in two villages in the Mangaize district of Tillaberi.

The region is plagued by jihadist activity which, according to analysts, is made worse by counterterrorism offensives that help give rise to ethnic militias.

Niger is battling the spread of deadly extremist violence, with jihadist insurgencies that have spilled over from Mali and Nigeria.

information to Ikea France.

Journalists with the investigative journal Canard Enchaine first reported on systematic spying at Ikea France in 2012 — prompting one union to lodge a legal complaint.

What was said in court?

One former employee and union activist, Hocine Redouane, told the court on Monday that Ikea France wrongly suspected him of being a bank robber, after finding criminal records involving a bank robber with the same name.

"Such a system can easily slip into abuse," he said.

The company is also accused of investigating how an em

ployee was able to afford a BMW on a low income, including probing whether they had a criminal record.

A similar accusation concerns the company using unautho

rized data to go after an employee who claimed unemployment benefits while driving a Porsche.

Jean- Francois Paris, the former head of Ikea France's risk management department, told judges that he earmarked €530,00 to €630,000 ($633,000 to $753,000) per year for the security firm and for such investigations.

What has the company said?

Lawyers for Ikea France denied that there was a strategy of "generalized espionage."

Ikea France also released a statement on Monday, saying that it "takes the protection of its employees' and customers' data very seriously."

Ikea's main parent company, based in Sweden, has distanced itself from the alleged snooping practices in France.

What happens next?

Ikea France faces a fine of up to €3.75 million in the case.

The 15 others charged in the case could face prison sentences of up to 10 years, while the two ex-CEOS could also be fined up to €750,000 each.

The trial is expected to last until April 2.

The government has little control over the desert areas outside the cities, a situation which is exploited by jihadist groups and criminal networks

The Swedish furniture giant has distanced itself from the alleged actions of its French branch

In one case, Ikea France is accused of trying to dig up criminal records on an employee who drove a nice car