Landmines explode in Niger as ex-rebels disarm

Dozens of landmines accidentally exploded in Niger during a ceremony in which a group of former rebels were handing over arms, killing one person and wounding about 40, including the regional governor.

Government spokesman Mohamed Ben Omar said four of the injured were in a serious condition and were soldiers.

The accident occurred in Goure, east of the capital, Niamey.

Speaking over state radio and television, Mr Omar said Moussa Bidal, a government official who had worked as an intermediary with the rebels, stepped on one mine, which set off dozens of others, spreading shrapnel through an assembled crowd.

The wounded included the governor of Zinder province, Yahaya Yandaka.

“We’re on the real path towards peace and people should not be discouraged by this” tragedy, Mr Omar said.

The rebel Niger Movement for Justice began its campaign against the government last year, saying the government had reneged on promises of greater rights for the Tuareg minority, key pledges of a 1995 peace accord that ended a previous Tuareg rebellion.

Clashes between government forces and rebels occur sporadically in the uranium-rich north despite multiple attempts at ceasefires.

It was unclear how large the group of former rebels who surrendered arms was, but last week the rebel group denied a report on state television that said they were ready to end their yearlong insurgency.