UPDATE - Macron Sympathizes With Families Of French Nationals Killed In Niger's Giraffe Park

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2020) French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday expressed his condolences to those who lost their loved ones in a recent armed attack in a wildlife reserve in southwestern Niger.

On Sunday morning, six French aid workers from ACTED NGO together with their local guide and driver were attacked by unidentified gunmen while traveling inside the national park in Koure, a town 37 miles from the Nigerien capital of Niamey, which is known to be home to rare West African giraffes. The gunmen, who were on motorcycles, shot the whole group dead and set their vehicle on fire.

"Several of our compatriots and Nigeriens were cowardly murdered yesterday in Niger in a deadly attack. I share the pain of their families and loved ones. Some of them were committed to the most altruistic of missions: helping the people," Macron wrote on Twitter.

The president added in a separate tweet that both France and Niger were determined to continuing the fight against terrorist organizations, including the West African Boko Haram, which have increased their activity in the Sahel region.

ACTED NGO and its affiliate IMPACT Initiatives confirmed on Monday that its staffers were the victims of the attack.

"It is with profound grief that we confirm the death of seven of our colleagues as well as their guide in Niger who were senselessly and cowardly murdered by armed individuals in the Koure area, south-east of Niamey, on August 9th 2020," the statement read.

The French counter-terrorism prosecutors opened a probe into the murder, according to the France Info broadcaster.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that France would mobilize all its forces in cooperation with the Nigerien government to support the families of the victims and bring the attackers to justice.

Koure Giraffe Reserve in the Tillaberi region attracts vast numbers of tourists every year. At the same time, the surrounding area has been marked with numerous militant attacks, including a recent series of killings in May 2020 that claimed the lives of at least 20 people.