France will step up security measures to protect the countriy’s nationals in Africa’s Sahel region, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, August 11, two days after six French aid workers and there two local guides were shot dead in Niger, while touring in natural park Kouré.

“We will do everything we can to support the families of the victims and to respond to the attack that cost the lives of six of our compatriots and two Nigeriens. These six young people, who were members of the NGO ‘ACTED’, showed extraordinary commitment to the local population,” Macron wrote on his Tweeted microblog.

“I have decided to step up security measures for our citizens in the region. We will continue in our action to eradicate the terrorist groups, with the increased support of our partners.”

The unidentified gunmen on motobyces have attacked a group of French aid workers in Niger, killing six French citizens, their local guide from natural park and driver, officials say.
The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire, the governor of Tillabéri region, Tidjani Ibrahim, said to Agence France Press.

They were in the Kouré region, which famous among tourists for rear herds of giraffe in West Africa.

The French presidency confirmed the deaths of the French citizens, after the post mortem expertice of their bodies undertaken in military base in Niger.

The French nationals worked for an international aid group, and went on Sunday for a tour to the giraffe park Kouré were they were attacked and killed, their vehicle burt.

ACTED, a French humanitarian NGO, confirmed its staff members were killed in this random attack in Niger, in the aread considered to be not dangerous for toursim.

President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with his Niger counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou on Sunday, a statement said, ensureing cooperation of both countris in defeating terrorsim in Sahel.

In photos which were not released for the ethical reasons, the victims’ bodies were found lying on a road by the side of their vechile. There were no survives. All victims were young people from 26 to 35 years old, idealists, devoted to the cause of development of Niger.

This random attack in Kouré parc caused considerable damage to local community living from tourism to giraffe parc, which has been considered as one of safe areas, just one hour drive from the captial. The group was killed in the morning hours between around 11 AM.