On Saturday, a local military source told Sputnik that at least 58 civilians had been killed in an attack by suspected militants on a village near the border with Mali.

"There were up to 70 dead in Tchoma Bangou [village] and 30 dead in Zaroumadareye [village]," mayor Almou Hassane told AFP, adding that 75 others were injured.

The Saturday attacks took place on the day of the announcement of the presidential election's preliminary results. Niger's ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum led the first round with 39.33 percent of the vote and will face former president Mahamane Ousmane, who got 17 percent, in a presidential election runoff in February.

Niger held the first round of the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 27.