Al-Qaeda-linked fighters storm Mali prison, block food supplies to Bamako
Fighters attack 'Africa's Alcatraz', which detains high-value prisoners, and disrupt crucial supply chains to capital.
AI Summary
Al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM stormed Mali's Kenieroba Central Prison, known as "Africa's Alcatraz," which holds 2,500 prisoners including 72 considered high-value detainees, while also setting fire to food supply trucks bound for the capital Bamako. The attack follows coordinated offensives by JNIM and Tuareg separatists in late April that killed the Defence Minister and at least 23 others, prompting a wave of arrests of military officers, civil society members, lawyers, and opposition figures accused of collusion with al-Qaeda fighters.