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13-07-2024
NIEMAY: Authorities in Niger have declared a curfew in the volatile Tillaberi region after several prisoners escaped from a heavily fortified jail known to hold jihadists.
The incident occurred on Thursday at Koutoukale prison located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north-west of the capital, Niamey, the interior ministry said.
Two other attempted jailbreaks at the facility – in 2016 and 2019 – were repelled.
Niger’s armed forces are stretched by jihadist attacks in the west and protecting the junta which took power in last year’s coup.
The ministry did not specify in its statement how many prisoners managed to escape in the latest jailbreak.
However, captured Islamist fighters from groups linked to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the region are believed to be among them.
Officials have imposed an overnight curfew throughout the Tillaberi region and ordered heightened vigilance. The curfew restricts all movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicles.
Niger and its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, all under military rule, have been battling to contain increasing jihadist attacks.
On Monday, at least 14 soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded in an attack by suspected jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda in the Tillaberi region.
The troops were ambushed between the villages of Ila Fari and Djangore with 24 soldiers still reported missing.
The three military-led countries have all expelled French soldiers who were there helping to fight jihadist groups and turned towards Russia for military assistance.
Thousands have been killed in the insurgencies and more than three million displaced, fueling a deep humanitarian crisis.
The West African country of Niger is among the world’s most deadly for attacks by jihadists. Following a military coup in July, there are fears a decision to order 1,500 French troops in the country to leave may further embolden insurgents.
A journalist Mayeni Jones gained rare access to Niger and spoke to the regime, its supporters and those opposed to it.
Adama Zourkaleini Maiga is soft-spoken, but her eyes suggest steely determination.
The single mother-of-two lives in a quiet, middle-class part of Niger’s capital Niamey, but is originally from Tillabery, one of the regions worst-hit by violence.
“My mother’s cousin was chief of a village called Tera,” she tells me over lunch. “He was assassinated just seven months ago.
“The terrorists were looking for him and when they found out he’d rented a car to flee, they caught up with him and killed him. They slit his throat. It was a real shock for our whole family.”
Adama blames France which has had 1,500 troops in the region to fight Islamist militants for the failure to contain the violence.
“They can’t tell us that the French army was successful,” she says. “I don’t understand how they can say they’re here to help people fight terrorism, and every year the situation gets worse.”
Niger was seen as the last Western ally in the Sahel, this semi-arid region which has become the epicentre of jihadi violence. France and the US each station troops in Niger, which is also home to the US’s biggest drone base but when France refused to recognize the new military government here, simmering resentment at perceived French interference in Niger’s internal affairs boiled over. Many Nigeriens believe France has had privileged access to the country’s political elite and natural resources for too long. They see the coup as a chance for a clean slate, a way to get sovereignty back and be rid of French influence. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
