Nigeria army chief sacked after 89 soldiers killed

Niger's army chief Gen Ahmed Mohamed has been sacked, four days after militant Islamists killed 89 soldiers in an assault on a military base, inflicting the biggest loss on the military in a single day.

Gen Mohamed's dismissal, along with that of three other top officers, was announced by state radio following a meeting of the cabinet.

Gen Mohamed's tenure of more than two years has been marked by a sharp increase in attacks by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.

He has been replaced by Maj Gen Salifou Modi.

Niger declared three days of mourning following Thursday's killing of the 89 soldiers at Chinegodar camp in the western Tillaberi region.

Last month, 71 soldiers were killed in an attack on the Inates camp in the same region.

French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting African leaders to discuss the militant threatImage caption: French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting African leaders to discuss the militant threat.

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou is currently in France with the leaders of four other former French colonies hit by the insurgency in the Sahel.

At the start of the summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Pau, southern France, the leaders laid wreaths in honour of French soldiers killed in action in Mali last month.

Mr Macron has demanded that the Sahel leaders use the summit to reiterate their support for the 4,000-strong French military force there, which has been criticised amid the mounting insecurity.

The leaders of Chad, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania are at the meeting.