Rebels request demilitarised zone

Former Tuareg and Tubu rebels in Niger have called for the demilitarisation of the southeastern Manga region bordering Nigeria and Chad, AFP reported at the weekend. Seventeen civilians from the area were killed during recent operations carried out by a joint force of soldiers from Niger, Chad and Nigeria, according to a statement by Front democratique revolutionnaire (FDR). It also demanded an amnesty for rebel detainees and reported the discovery of a mass grave of 150 civilians whom the rebels said had been killed the previous month by Niger soldiers in the Bosso area near Lake Chad. The army has denied the allegation, AFP said. The former rebels said military operations were paralysing the application of peace accords it signed last year in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena. "To give peace a chance, we demand the demilitarisation of the Manga area," the statement said.