Female suicide bombers attack Ramadan prayers in Niger, killing 10

The region is a target for Boko Haram extremists, who travel across the border from Nigeria

Three female suicide bombers killed 10 people during Ramadan prayers at a mosque in Niger’s south-eastern city of Diffa, an army spokesman said yesterday.

“These three people exploded their charges during a religious service,” the spokesman said.

The worshippers were praying after breaking their fast.

Accounts on social media said three explosions were heard at about 10pm on Monday in Diffa Koura, an old district of the city.

The attacks came as Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou arrived in Paris for an official visit on Monday. He was scheduled to visit Brussels yesterday.

The area around Diffa, close to Lake Chad and the borders of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, is a stronghold for two factions of the militant group Boko Haram, which have been fighting to establish a “caliphate” in the region.

The latest incidents bring an end to several months of relative peace in the Diffa region.

Since February 2015, Diffa has been subjected to many attacks by Boko Haram, which is based across the border in north-east Nigeria.

The extremists have killed at least 20,000 people since they took up arms in Nigeria in 2009.

An offshoot of the group, ISIS in West Africa, has pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Security forces have cordoned off the sites of the blasts in Diffa and are carrying out search operations throughout the city, a source said.