National mourning declared

Niamey: Niger has declared three days of national mourning following the massacre of 100 civilians in two villages in the western region of the country where Islamist militants have carried out a series of attacks.

The Government said an investigation had been launched to find the perpetrators.

Witnesses have said that more than 100 armed assailants on motorbikes surrounded the villages and started firing indiscriminately on Sunday.

The attack highlights the fragile security in the West Africa Sahel region, and in Niger in particular, in the leadup to a presidential election runoff in the country next month.