Suspected jihadists killed 39 civilians, including women and children, in two separate attacks in western Niger`s conflict-torn borderlands in recent days, the defence ministry said on Sunday.

The attackers struck the communities of Kokorou and Libiri, it said, without giving further details on the date of the bloodshed, reports Reuters.

Niger and its neighbours in West Africa`s Sahel region, Mali and Burkina Faso, are on the frontlines of the battle to contain an insurgent threat that has steadily grown since 2012, when al Qaeda-linked fighters first seized parts of Mali.