Niger Declares Curfew Following Jail Break Of Prisoners, Militants

Confidence UbaniJuly 12, 20241 Mins read448

According to reports a China-backed pipeline that would make Niger an oil-exporting country is being threatened by an internal security crisis and a diplomatic dispute with border country Benin, both as a result of last year’s coup that toppled the West African nation’s democratic government.

Niger has declared a curfew in the Tillaberi region after multiple prisoners, including jihadists, escaped from the Koutoukale prison on Thursday.

The interior ministry did not disclose the number of escaped prisoners but indicated that captured Islamist fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State were among them.

In response, Niger authorities have imposed an overnight curfew in Tillaberi. The duration of the curfew remains uncertain, as authorities have not provided detailed hours. This curfew, however, restricts movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicles. Although the ministry has not disclosed specific measures or operations it may undertake, security forces are expected to establish checkpoints, increase patrols, and conduct search operations to recapture the escapees.

The Koutoukale facility, located about 50 kilometres northwest of the capital, Niamey, has previously thwarted records of jailbreaks in 2016 and 2019. In 2013 also, Niger’s government announced a manhunt for 22 prisoners who escaped from a prison during a jailbreak attempt by three detainees being held on terrorism charges. Exactly how the three detainees were able to get a gun inside Niamey’s central prison has remained unclear.

Niger, along with neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, faces persistent jihadist threats and has been under military rule since last year’s coup. The region has been destabilised by frequent attacks, including a recent ambush in Tillaberi on Monday, which left 14 soldiers dead, 11 wounded, and 24 missing. The ongoing insurgencies have resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced over three million people, creating a severe humanitarian crisis.