A night raid blamed on Boko Haram has left a dozen villagers dead in southeast Niger on the frontier with Nigeria, according to a local official.

The attack on Friday night in the border district of Gueskerou is the latest to hit the Diffa region near Lake Chad, which is crisscrossed by fighter groups and traffickers. "Twelve villagers were killed on Friday at around 8:00pm (19:00 GMT) by Boko Haram elements," a local elected official told AFP on Saturday.

Al Jazeera - Twelve dead in Boko Haram Niger attack: Official