Niger bus attacks kill at least 11, broadcaster says

Gunmen attacked two buses on a main road in northern Niger on Tuesday, killing at least 11 passengers and wounding several others, local broadcaster Tegades TV reported.

Tegades TV said the buses had left the mining town of Arlit that morning and were attacked just outside Agadez by gunmen in three vehicles. A passenger told the broadcaster that the attackers opened fire and that soldiers escorting the convoy exchanged gunfire with them.

AFP said an Agadez resident confirmed that an attack took place.

Northern Niger has largely avoided the jihadist violence affecting the country's west and southeast, but the region is a trafficking route for drugs, guns and migrants. It has also seen violence linked to armed groups hostile to the military junta and to informal gold mining.