Ahmad 
The Nigerien army announced that a large number of escapees from the high-security Kotukale prison, near the capital Niamey, have been arrested after a mutiny that led to the escape of hundreds of detainees.
The army stated in a statement carried by Radio ‘France International” in its African bulletin on Monday that search operations are still continuing to find the rest of the fugitives.
The statement explained that the official number of fugitives who have been arrested has not been announced yet, even though a few days have passed since the mass escape.
The statement indicated that the prisoners in Kotukale prison are considered among the most dangerous, as they include extremists linked to “Al-Qaeda” and I”SIS”.
The statement stated that three people were killed during the operation and three rifles were seized, stressing that combing operations are continuing by air and on the ground, and that the area on the banks of the Niger River has been closed to find the missing detainees.
It is noteworthy that last week, the high-security Kotukale prison witnessed the escape of hundreds of prisoners following a massive rebellion in which jihadist militiamen participated. The exact number of escaped prisoners is not known, but the prison contained about 200 people accused of terrorism.
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