A violent mob set light to at least eight churches in Niger as protests against Charlie Hebdo magazine left eight people dead.

The mob rampaged through Niger's capital Niamey as anger mounted in several Muslim countries over the satirical magazine's depiction of the prophet Mohammed.

Three people were killed on Saturday, with two charred bodies found inside a burned church on the outskirts of the capital.

The body of a woman was found inside a bar. She was believed to have asphyxiated from tear gas and smoke

Yesterday, a rally against Charlie Hebdo in the country's second city of Zinder left five dead and 45 injured.

"Be very cautious, avoid going out," the embassy said on its website as rioters also ransacked several French-linked businesses, including telephone kiosks run by Orange.

Some 20 Muslim scholars called for calm in the Niger capital.

"Don't forget that Islam is against violence. I urge men and women, boys and girls to calm down," one of the Muslim elders, preacher Yaou Sonna, told state television in Niamey.

In his first reaction to the violence, which also erupted in Pakistan on Friday, President Francois Hollande emphasised that "freedom of expression" was "non-negotiable."

Some 15,000 people also rallied in Russia's Muslim North Caucasus region of Ingushetia against Charlie Hebdo, which depicted on its most recent cover a weeping prophet holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign.

With France still reeling from last week's deadly attacks that killed 17 people, countries across Europe have stepped up security.

Soldiers are patrolling the streets of Belgium for the first time in 35 years.

Originally posted at 17.46