Niger tells G7 to urgently 'put out Libyan cauldron', do more on aid

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou speaks at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East and North Africa at the King Hussein Convention Centre at the Dead Sea May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

TAORMINA, Italy (Reuters) - Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou called on the leaders of the Group of Seven nations to take urgent measures to end the Libyan crisis and derided them for not keeping to aid promises to fight poverty in West Africa's poorest regions.

Niger, which adjoins Libya to the south and has fought Islamists at home, is increasingly concerned about the situation in the North Africa country where rival governments oppose each other leaving a power vacuum that has enabled Islamist groups to establish a foothold in the country.