In the appeal trial for the murder of Samuel Paty, the father of a student and an Islamist militant received reduced sentences of six and fifteen years respectively, down from their initial convictions.

US troops have arrived in Bauchi state, Nigeria, to support the country's efforts against Islamist militants, though officials state they will not participate in combat operations.

Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are rapidly increasing their attacks on the borderlands between Niger, Benin and Nigeria, turning remote transit corridors into active conflict zones, according to a crisis monitoring group.

Nigeria's government has rejected a media report alleging that it paid a "huge" ransom to Islamist militant group Boko Haram to secure the release of more than 200 pupils and staff abducted from a Catholic boarding school in November.