Diffa Region

AFP - At least 36 people have died in flooding in Niger since the start of the rainy season in June, most of them in northern desert areas, UN figures showed Tuesday.

Over that period, the floods have affected a total of 130,468 people, destroying 7,212 homes, 8,162 hectares of crops and 31,118 head of cattle, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Islamist Boko Haram militants operating out of Nigeria raided a village across the border in southern Niger and massacred at least 15 civilians, Niger security sources said on Sept.25. 

Troops from Chad and Niger have retaken the northeastern Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram as part of a regional offensive to combat the militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
      

Several dozen people suspected of having links to Nigeria's Boko Haram have been arrested in southern Niger since the start of cross-border attacks by the Islamist group a week ago, a local governor said.

Niger's parliament has unanimously approved the deployment of troops to northern Nigeria as part of a regional offensive against Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has launched several cross-border attacks in recent days.
   

Nigeria's Boko Haram fighters launched a new attack in neighbouring Niger on Feb. 9, as parliament in Niamey was set to vote on joining a regional force against the Islamists.