A total of 574 livestock – 126 cows, 354 goats and 94 sheep – that had been stolen have been recovered by the Nigerien defence and security forces in the region of Tillabéri in  Niger.

The forces handed over the livestock on Saturday, November 13, to the authorities of the village of Mangaizé in the municipality of Tondikiwindi.

A committee specifically responsible for restitution was established, made up of the mayor and/or his representative, the village chief of Mangaizé, the representative of the canton chief of Mangaizé and the head of the National Guard brigade, based in Mangaizé.

To avoid confusion, a specific process and safeguards of handing over the livestock to the owners had been put in place to ensure that people pretending to be the owners would not get animals that did not belong to them.

“The person must first bring the tags that are on his animals before entering the enclosure,” said the vice-mayor. The owners were also required to bring several witnesses, including the village chief, and two to three people “to attest to the truth of the facts”.

The Tillabéri region is not the only one affected by livestock thefts in Niger.

According to the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental organisation (NGO): “Groups of armed bandits steal entire herds and kidnap hundreds of villagers along the border strip from the Nigerien towns of Maradi to Dogondoutchi.”

The NGO said in an article that, between December 2019 and January 2020, the Nigerien army faced the deadliest attacks perpetrated by the Sahelian branch of the Islamic State, targeting civilians and soldiers alike.

Theft of livestock had also become very common, the NGO said.