Suspected militants storm jail, free prisoners in central Mali

Suspected Islamist militants attacked a prison in the town of Niono in central Mali late on Monday and freed all the prisoners, army spokesman Diarran Kone said.

Militants in northern Mali have staged a series of high-profile attacks since 2015, extending their campaign beyond their desert bases into the central and southern regions of the country and the capital.

It was not immediately clear how many inmates were freed.