Two Anti-tank Mines Defused Wednesday in Niamey, Niger

Two anti-tank mines were defused Wednesday in the outskirts of Niger’s capital, Niamey where a mine exploded Tuesday night, killing journalist Mahamane Abdou alias Jeannot.

The two mines, which were laid a few meters away from the Muslim cemetery and the premises of the state-owned power outfit NIGELEC, were defused as the security forces scanned the area following the blast of another mine.

A police source told APA that the devices were of Italian make dating back to the sixties.

“The mines are the same as those found in Niger cities and those that have exploded,” the source added.

The police probe launched immediately is not focusing on any single lead, but it is being rumored that MNJ fighters active in the northern region are committing acts of “sabotage”.

Niger’s journalist and boss of a private radio station Mahamane Abdou alias Jeannot was killed Tuesday night when his vehicle hit a mine in the outskirts of Niamey.

This is the first time a mine has exploded in the capital since the MNJ rebels launched armed attacks a year ago.

In mid-December 2007, anti-tank mine blasts killed two people and seriously injured four others in the central city of Maradi (700 km away from here) and Tahoua (540 km north-west of the capital).

Other mines have been defused just in time in Dosso (139 km south of Niamey) and in the country’s second largest city of Zinder, located 900 km east of here.

Source African Press Agency

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