Niger President: 10 dead after anti-Charlie Hebdo protests

A man (2nd L) holds a sign reading "Charlie and his allies are damned" during a protest against Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou's attendance last week at a Paris rally in support of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen, in Niamey January 17, 2015. REUTERS/Tagaza Djibo (NIGER - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MEDIA RELIGION)

The President of Niger says at least 10 people have been killed after violent protests over a French publication’s cartoon depicting Islam’s prophet.

President Mahamadou Issoufou said that five deaths were reported after demonstrations in the capital of Niamey on Saturday. The victims were inside churches and bars that were set ablaze, he said.

On Friday, at least five people were killed in the town of Zinder after prayer services there.

The violence erupted after the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published a new cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed. The issue, published on Wednesday, was the first following a January 7 terrorist attack on its headquarters that left 12 dead.

Physical depictions of the prophet are considered blasphemous, and protests have erupted in a number of predominantly Muslim countries this week.