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West African leaders are meeting in Paris to discuss the threat posed by Nigeria's Boko Haram militants.

French President Francois Hollande, who is hosting the summit, said the group threatened the whole region and had "proven links" with al-Qaeda.

Thousands of people have been killed by Boko Haram in recent years. Last month it abducted 223 schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria, where it is based.

As Saturday's summit began, news of fresh violence emerged.

In the far north of Cameroon, near the Nigerian border, attackers targeted a camp run by a Chinese engineering company. Ten Chinese workers are missing and one person was injured.

There are reports that one person was killed.

In Nigeria itself, 11 people were reported killed in a separate attack in village a few hours' drive from the Cameroonian border.

A relative of one of the victims said a woman and a child were among the dead.

As the Paris meeting opened, Mr Hollande called Boko Haram a "major threat to West and Central Africa", and said it had links with al-Qaeda's North-African arm and "other terrorist organisations".

The summit is also being attended by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his counterparts from neighbouring Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

Representatives from the UK, US and EU are also taking part.

Credit: BBC