Niger’s Tillabéry region suffered three attacks on Monday afternoon and evening, one of which targeted a prison in the locality located in the southwest of the country, resulting in the death of a security operative who confronted the heavily armed attackers.
This attack, carried out precisely at 4 p.m. against the Koutoukalé high security prison some 45 km from the capital Niamey led to the attackers seizing an FDS vehicle.
However, according to Interior minister, Bazoum Mohamed, the attack was repelled by security forces.
Niger’s best-kept detention facility, holding suspected Malian jihadists, Boko Haram insurgents and traffickers of all kinds, the Koutoukakaké high security prison was raided in October 2016 by individuals ron motorbikes.
At the time, it was widely believed that the attackers were drug traffickers trying to free their accomplices.
The other two attacks perpetrated on Monday in the Tilabéry region took place in the evening, targeting the towns of Mangaizé (150 km from Niamey) and Dolbel (300 km from Niamey).
In this border town in Burkina Faso, the attack targeted a church where a victim suffered gunshot wounds and extensive damage was reported.
In Mangaizé, which houses a Malian refugee camp, only ransacked communication equipment is reported,
AS/cat/lb/as/APA