 And now too, a Niger, or 18 people, have been killed by gunmen in an area near the border with Mali that has been the scene of frequent attacks by Islamist militants. A local official told the French news agency that armed men on motorbikes attacked the village of Daikoku on Wednesday morning. A similar attack on Sunday, which was also close to Banibangu town left 14 people dead. Jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have found it easy to evade local and international troops and cross the three borders between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.