Gunmen have killed eight aid workers including six French citizens in the latest attacks by militants in Niger Republic.
Official and media sources confirmed the Sunday attack by still to be identified gunmen at Koure, some 65-km east of Niger capital, Niamey.
The victims were said to be tourists who died along with their local guide and driver.
French President Emmanuel Macron is reported to have spoken on the phone about the incident with his Niger counterpart, President Mahamadou Issoufou, the current Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but militants including jihadists, Boko Haram, Islamic State, and AlQaeda groups have killed more than 3,000 people in separate attacks along with the Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger axis in the past several months.
Insecurity in the ECOWAS region and the Sahel has compounded the socio-economic and political crises in these regions.
