Former Tuareg minister arrested in connection with murder - radio

A former Tuareg rebel leader has been arrested in connection with the murder of an official of Niger's ruling party shortly after being sacked from the government, Radio Anfani, a private radio station in the capital Niamey, reported on Monday. Rhissa Ag Boula was dismissed as Minister of Tourism and Handcrafts last Thursday after occupying the portfolio since 1997. A government spokesman said at the time that Ag Boula's exit from the cabinet would leave him "free to prepare his defence against certain accusations made against him." Radio Anfani said Ag Boula, who played a leading role in the Tuareg rebellion in northern Niger from 1980 to 1995, was arrested on Sunday. Police and government spokesmen were not immediately available to comment on the report. Before his removal from office, Ag Boula had been accused of complicity in the killing of an official of the ruling National Movement for Society and Development (MNSD) at the end of January. Adam Amangue, the MNSD boss in the town of Tchirzerine near Agadez, the main administrative centre in northern Niger, was detained by armed men and shot dead 300 metres outside the town. His body was found by the roadside with three bullets in the head. Ag Boula held a press conference last Friday at which he denied any part in the killing. He said he had quit as a minister because he did not want to become an embarassment to the government.