Niger has declared two days of national mourning from Friday, after at least 69 people were killed in an attack by suspected Islamist insurgents, writes BBC.

The attack happened in the country"s south-west, near the border with Mali.

Victims included a local mayor and the leader of a self - defence militia, the government said. A search is under way for survivors.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed, which took place on Tuesday.

The assailants fled across the border into Mali, reportedly taking their own dead away with them.