Attack on Niger’s army base leaves 89 people dead

Niger’s government says the number of soldiers killed in last week’s attack on a military base has reached 89.

Report says, it is the highest number of casualties suffered by the army in a single attack since it started fighting Islamist militants who spill over from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

The government had declared three days of national mourning in honour of the soldiers killed in the Thursday night attack.

The December attack spurred leaders of the G5 Sahel nations, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania to call for closer cooperation and international support in the battle against the Islamist threat.