DAKAR (Reuters) -Islamic State-affiliated militants have stepped up attacks in western Niger, killing more than 127 people in five separate strikes since March and highlighting authorities’ failure to protect civilians, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

A report by the rights group provides the most detailed accounts available of attacks carried out by Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP) in the Tillaberi region, near the border with Burkina Faso and Mali. Niger does not typically comment on such incidents.

The tri-border region is known as a hub of jihadist activity in West Africa linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Witnesses identified the perpetrators of the attacks as members of ISSP based on their attire and because of threats the group had made beforehand, HRW said.

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