Niger rebels attack northern town with mortars

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Tuareg-led rebels in Niger have fired mortars in an attack on the main town in the uranium-producing north, but authorities said on Saturday there had been no serious damage or casualties.

The Niger Justice Movement said its fighters launched the raid on the garrison town of Agadez late on Thursday to counter government claims the rebels had been weakened by the death of their deputy commander in battle last month.

"There was some rocket and heavy weapons fire...but they failed in this raid on Agadez," Agadez governor Abba Malam Boukar told Radio France Internationale (RFI) on Saturday.

Several shells landed near his residence and the hospital, but caused no damage, Boukar added.

There was no independent confirmation of the attack, but if it did take place it would be the second assault on the town since a June 2007 raid on the airport.

Nigerian President Mamadou Tandja's government dismisses the rebels as bandits and smugglers of arms and drugs and has ruled out talks with them until they first lay down their weapons.

At least 200 rebels and 70 government soldiers have been killed since the rebellion was launched over a year ago.

Riding the tide of rising uranium prices, Niger is attracting investors and hopes to become the world's second largest producer by 2011, largely thanks to new mines being opened by France's Areva and the China Nuclear International Uranium Corp.

The rebels say northerners are not benefiting from their country's resources and have. In the past rebels have kidnapped miners before releasing them unharmed.

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(Writing by David Lewis, Editing by Matthew Jones)