PRETORIA, South Africa - The president of Niger says his army has clashed more than once with arms traffickers from Libya, underlining the security threat posed by the fall of Moammar Gadhafi.
President Mahamadou Issoufou, who spoke to reporters Friday during a visit to South Africa, says: "We are very worried because this crisis will destabilize the whole region."
He says Niger and its West African neighbours already face violence from Islamist extremists, and now he's worried about armed Gadhafi loyalists at large.
Issoufou says a clash Sunday that left one soldier and six traffickers dead was among several. He says 13 captured traffickers are being interrogated to confirm their nationalities and determine where they were headed.
