CNN)Boko Haram militants killed at least 38 people in raids on two villages in Niger's Diffa region, close to the border with Nigeria, a local lawmaker said Thursday.
Scores of Boko Haram gunmen struck the Ungumawo and Lamina villages Wednesday, killing residents and burning substantial parts of the communities, according to lawmaker Bulu Mammadou, who visited the area.
Mammadou said the victims were mostly women and children.
"The attackers opened fire on the villages and set homes ablaze, burning women and children alive in their homes," he said.
The attack on Lamina was the deadliest, with 28 residents killed -- 24 of them women and children, the lawmaker said.