Seven Islamist militants surrendered to Algerian authorities on Wednesday near the North African country’s border with Mali, the defence ministry said.

Security forces recovered arms including six Kalashnikov assault rifles, the ministry said in a statement.

Violence has declined in Algeria since the 1990s, when a conflict between the state and Islamist insurgents killed an estimated 200,000 people.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and small bands of fighters allied to Islamic State are still active in some remote areas.

Reuters