6 French aid workers, 2 others killed in Niger

 Gunmen have attacked a group of aid workers in Niger, killing six French citizens, their local guide and driver, officials say.

The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire, the governor of Tillabéri region, Tidjani Ibrahim, said Sunday.

They were in the Koure region, which attracts tourists who want to see the last herds of giraffe in West Africa.

The French presidency confirmed the deaths of the French citizens, who, according Niger’s defence minister Issoufou Katambé, worked for an international aid agency.

ACTED, a French humanitarian NGO, confirmed its staff members were involved in the incident in Niger.

President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with his Niger counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou on Sunday, a statement said, without giving further details.