banditry

The officers had travelled to Kenya's North Rift region, which has been plagued by banditry.

Nearly two-thirds of its 213 million people live on less than $2 a day; extremist violence and banditry are rife; and life expectancy is just 53, nine years below the African average.

Even those who dislike the current regime say banditry, kidnapping and corruption, which were rampant under the previous governments, have been largely reined in.

But although Niger had been battling its own jihadist insurgency and rural banditry, it had appeared relatively more stable than its neighbours.

While it has managed to protect citizens better than its neighbours, Niger still suffers frequent militant attacks and rural banditry, according to ACLED.