Soldiers rescued 25 migrants on Wednesday morning near a well in northern Niger, the local prefect, Fatoumi Goudou, said.

They barricaded roads leading into the town, repelled a group of Cameroonian soldiers and shot at the office of the local prefect.

We landed, and the people with me quickly went out to find the local prefect, a man who is still alive today.

The local prefect had written to Paris that one word from De Franchi would end the dispute, and Louis had appealed to him.

But the interior ministry's then local prefect, Gilbert Payet, refused support for the center, arguing it helped encourage the movement of migrants across France.

The local prefect's office revised down an earlier death toll it gave of eight, which it said was due to an incorrect body count.

Among the dead were the driver of the articulated lorry and a young boy who was in the cab, according to the local prefect's office.

The local prefect said a police helicopter had been targeted by someone firing birdshot and police described one attack on their ranks as an "ambush".

In theory, the state could now instruct local prefects to take action to force mayors to withdraw the bans.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked local prefects to order the expulsions at a meeting on Sunday afternoon, according to the source and Europe 1.

Some businesses deemed "strategic", including activity that was mainly export-oriented, could reopen this week providing they get the go-ahead from local prefects.