In Niger, at least 25 children were killed, and over a dozen more injured, when a fire engulfed their classrooms Monday. Fires are not uncommon at schools in Niger, which are often constructed from flammable materials like straw and wood. It’s the latest tragedy in the West African nation. Just one day earlier, at least 18 people died in a collapsed gold mine in the south of the country.
Separately, Niger had just held two days of national mourning after 69 people, including a local mayor, were killed last week in an attack by gunmen in the country’s volatile southern border region.