Gunmen on motorbikes killed six French aid workers, their guide and their driver at a Nigerian wildlife park on Sunday, and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack and vowed to continue the war on extremist groups in the Sahel region of Africa.
Niger's Defense Minister Issoufou Catambi said the French who were killed by the militants were aid workers.
A spokesman for the French "ACTED" group for humanitarian relief stated that employees of the group had been attacked in Niger.
No group has yet claimed responsibility. The French government had warned against traveling to many areas of Niger, where armed groups, including Boko Haram and groups affiliated with ISIS, are active.
For his part, Tijani Ibrahim Cachella, Governor of Tillaberi region, stated that the group had been attacked in a giraffe reserve, located about 65 km west of the capital Niamey, and said, "They blocked their path and killed them."
"We are in the process of dealing with the situation. We will provide more information later," he added, without specifying the circumstances in which the attack took place or the identity of the perpetrators.
The Reserve Guides Association issued a statement describing the attackers as a "terrorist squad" and said that the leader of the guides, Qadri Abdo, was among the dead.
A source close to the Environmental Protection Services said, "Most of the victims were shot and killed, and a woman who fled and was slaughtered was caught. We found a (comb) gun store, devoid of bullets."
The source said that the bodies of the victims were lined up side by side near a car that was set on fire, and its rear window showed signs of gunfire.
President Macron's office confirmed that two French were killed in Niger. He added that the president spoke by phone with his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammad Issouf.
Macron denounced the "cowardly" attack that targeted a group of humanitarian organization employees, stressing that "all means" will be used to "uncover" the circumstances of this "attack." He stressed "the steadfast determination to continue the common struggle against terrorist groups in the Sahel."