Suspected militants free 93 prisoners from jail

Suspected militants freed 93 prisoners during an attack on a jail in the central Mali town of Niono early on Tuesday, officials said. The prison break was the second of its kind in recent weeks in Mali, where militant groups based in the desert north have extended their campaign into central and southern regions, complicating […]

Suspected militants freed 93 prisoners during an attack on a jail in the central Mali town of Niono early on Tuesday, officials said.

The prison break was the second of its kind in recent weeks in Mali, where militant groups based in the desert north have extended their campaign into central and southern regions, complicating international efforts at peace.

Five armed men attacked the jail at around 0115 GMT, injuring two guards, the Ministry of Security said.

Ninety prisoners remained at large on Tuesday afternoon; three were re-captured. The army was deployed in pursuit.

Army spokesman Diarran Kone said the attack bore the hallmarks of followers of radical Islamist preacher Amadou Koufa, the leader of an ethnic Fulani jihadist group, the Macina Liberation Front. It was unclear whether any suspected jihadists had been in the prison.