Niger's army has killed 14 displaced people who were mistaken for jihadists in the restive southeast where Boko Haram Islamists have staged regular attacks, a local official told AFP.

"It's an error by the military that cost the lives of 14 civilians... refugees and displaced people" who were returning to their village which they had fled due to Boko Haram violence, the official from the Diffa region told AFP.