Militants have killed at least 60 people in an attack on a military base close to Niger’s border with Mali.
No group has said it was behind the killings, but fighters linked to the Islamic State group and Nigeria-based Boko Haram are active in the area.
The news comes just after the government requested a three-month extension to a state of emergency, first declared two years ago.
Niger’s security forces are struggling to contain the spread of armed groups.
Security analysts who are following the report of the attack say that the insurgency in Niger is escalating at an alarming rate.
In recent weeks, there have been increasingly bold attacks from the Islamic State group affiliate in the area of the country close to Mali, reports BBC West Africa correspondent Louise Dewast.
Militant groups are active across the region and Niger is a member of the G5 Sahel group, along with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Chad – aimed at tackling the insurgency.
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