Niamey - Rescue teams have saved a thousand African migrants abandoned by people smugglers in the Niger part of the Sahara desert in recent months, the UN's International Office of Migration (IOM) said Wednesday.

Niamey - Boko Haram jihadists have kidnapped 37 women and slit the throats of nine other people at a village in southeastern Niger, the regional governor said Tuesday.

Niamey - Twenty-four West African migrants were rescued and dozens more feared dead after traffickers deserted them in Niger's northern desert without food or water, a senior local official said.

Agadez - Wild-eyed with matted hair after four days in the searing Sahara sun, Ibrahim Kande climbs out of the pick-up truck he has ridden from Libya back to dusty Agadez in central Niger.

Agadez - As Africa's smuggling capital, a dusty city in central Niger has found its local football team boosted by an unexpected influx of new players: migrants in limbo awaiting passage to Europe.

Niamey - At least 44 Libya-bound migrants, including women and babies, died of thirst after their vehicle broke down in the scorching Sahara desert of northern Niger, local officials said Thursday.

Niamey - Arriving on motorcycles and donkeys, in cars, or even on foot, hundreds of people have flocked to a site in southern Niger hoping to strike gold.

Niamey - Bad water and hygiene have led to an epidemic of hepatitis E that has killed 25 people over several months in a refugee camp in Diffa, a region in southeast Niger, Medecins sans frontieres said Wednesday.

Niamey - More than half of schoolchildren have quit class in some parts of Niger due to drought which is forcing entire families of farmers to move to seek better pastures, the UN said Friday.

Niamey - Thousands of people marched in Niger's capital of Niamey on Saturday against the government of President Mahamadou Issoufou, calling for improved living conditions and the release of "political prisoners".

Niamey - At least 18 people were killed and dozens wounded in clashes in Niger between cattle herders and farmers, officials said, adding that women and children were among the dead.

Tahoua - For people living in the small city of Abalak in central Niger, the abduction of a longtime US aid worker over a week ago has left them angry and anxious.Jeffery Woodke was no stranger here.

Niamey - Niger has launched an army operation to hunt down a kidnapped American aid worker, the west African country's interior minister said Saturday.

Niamey - An American NGO worker was kidnapped Friday night in the Niger town of Abalak, northeast of the capital Niamey, before being taken by his abductors to Mali, a security source told AFP.

Niamey - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday announced a 27-million-euro aid package for Niger, her second stop in a three-nation Africa tour aimed at fighting terrorism and stemming the migrant influx to Europe.

Niamey - Twenty-two soldiers have been killed in an attack blamed on jihadists against a camp in Niger sheltering almost 4,000 Malian refugees, security officials said on Friday.

Niamey - Seven Niger soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in two separate attacks by Boko Haram Islamists over the past week, the army has said.

Diffa - Outside the Diffa grand mosque in Niger's southeast, two soldiers stand at the ready, rifles pointed at the wave of worshippers walking towards them.Unbidden, the men raise their "boubous", the traditional wide-sleeved robes worn across West Africa.

Niamey - The bodies of 34 migrants, including 20 children, who were abandoned by people smugglers while trying to reach neighbouring Algeria were found in the Niger desert last week, authorities said.

Niamey - About 50,000 people have fled a town in Niger's troubled southeast after deadly attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations said Tuesday.