At least 26 children died in a school fire in southern Niger on Monday. The victims were aged between five and six years. They were burned to death during school hours. This was seven months after a similar tragedy in the capital Niamey.

Classrooms made of straw and wood

Their straw and wood classrooms caught fire. According to Chaibou Aboubacar, mayor of the city of Maradi, 26 students died, 13 were injured and four were serious.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, has been trying to address the shortage of school buildings. As a result, they have built thousands of straw and wooden sheds to serve as classrooms. Children sometimes sit on the floor.

Fires are very common

Fires in these highly flammable classrooms are common but rarely result in casualties. For this reason, the Nigerien authorities have decreed three days of mourning in the Maradi region from Tuesday. The secretary general of the Niger Teachers' Union, Issoufou Arzika, said the fire at the Maradi school was the first in the country to be declared a disaster.

Tragic event for the Nigerien people

Arzika said his union had alerted the authorities to the danger of straw and wooden classrooms after the fire in Niamey. In April, 20 children were burned alive in a school fire in a working-class neighbourhood of Niamey.

"It is better to hold classes under trees than in straw huts. The latter have become flammable graves for our descendants", according to Mr Azirka.

From now on, straw and wood will be banned in the whole country. According to President Mohamed Bazoum, all wooden structures will be replaced from now on.

MamP's

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