DOHA

Qatar Thursday condemned a terror attack in Niger that killed at least 58 people, including six children aged 11-17, in the Tillaberi region earlier this week.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated its "firm position of rejecting violence and terrorism regardless of the motives and reasons."

And it expressed "condolences of the State of Qatar to the families of the victims, the government and people of Niger" for the attacks late Monday.

The Tillaberi region has been frequently targeted by terror groups based in Mali since 2017, with a state of emergency declared in the area.

Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the world's fastest-growing displacement and protection crises.

The region is already hosting 851,000 refugees and nearly 2 million displaced people, according to the UN refugee agency.

In January, around 100 people were also killed in attacks in two villages in Tillaberi after the first round of presidential elections.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara.