SHAFAQNA- Gunmen have killed dozens of civilians in attack on villages in Niger’s restive border regions on Saturday. The death toll in the attack has risen to more than 70, the country’s interior minister said on Sunday.
Alkache Alhada said the attack is believed to be in retaliation to the earlier killing of two fighters by villagers, the minister added. At least 20 people were also wounded.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Niger’s capital Niamey, said the attack took place in one of the most porous areas of the border. “Officials say they suspect the attackers crossed into Niger from neighbouring Mali. The area where the attack took place has also witnessed inter-communal violence. A government delegation is now on the way to the area to investigate what happened,” Idris said.