Armed men on motorbikes killed 14 civilians in an attack on a village in western Niger, near the restive border with Mali, the government said on Monday.

The attack on Sunday “targeted civilians, killing 14, including nine working in fields” at Banibangou, the interior ministry said. The area is prone to jihadist raids.

One person who was wounded had been evacuated for treatment in the capital Niamey, the ministry added.

The raid happened on Sunday at around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), when the attackers arrived at the village of Wiye, in the Banibangou district about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border with Mali.

Security measures had been stepped up and an investigation was underway to identify and bring to trial those responsible for “these cowardly and barbaric attacks”, the ministry added.

Banibangou falls inside what is known as the three-borders region between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which for years has been the scene of bloody attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. (AFP)