At least twenty-five children aged five to six have died after their classrooms caught fire in southern Niger. Several others were injured during the blaze, which broke out as children took part in school lessons in the country’s Maradi region. Officials say the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Niger has declared two days of national mourning after at least sixty-nine people were killed in an attack by suspected Islamist insurgents. The attack happened in the country’s south-west, near the border with Mali. No group has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed, which took place on Tuesday.
Work has formally started on the rail line linking Nigeria’s northern city of Kano with Maradi town, in Niger Republic. The rail project, which is to cost over 1.9 billion dollars, is expected to cut across Kano, Jigawa and Katsina in the north. The groundbreaking ceremony of the project was held in Katsina State, while President Muhammadu…