At least seven people were killed when drought-stricken herders seeking fresh pastures clashed with farmers in the desert country of Niger, local government officials said on Saturday. A drought in the north of the country last year has forced many herders to migrate towards the more fertile south, provoking frequent conflicts with villagers already using the land to grow crops. Officials said six people were killed on Thursday and several others wounded during a clash between herders and farmers in Makal, 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Niamey. In Zinder, 800 km east of Niamey, one person was killed by an arrow and nine others wounded in a similar clash, also on Thursday. Niger, an impoverished country with a population of roughly 11 million, experienced its worst clash between herders and farmers around an area called Todah in October 1991, when about 100 people were killed.
