BAMAKO, Mali

Authorities in Niger have arrested at least 245 people allegedly linked to terrorist groups as part of ongoing operations to combat crime and insurgency, officials said Thursday. 

The arrests were carried out by Niger's Central Service for the Fight against Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime, according to the Integrated Operations Coordination Center (CICO).

Many of those detained are suspected to be members of armed groups involved in kidnappings and other criminal activities, operating along the Niger-Nigeria border, where the militant group Boko Haram is active.

Additional arrests were made near the Mali-Niger border, an area where the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM) operates, as well as in the Agadez region, known for its gold mines. Among those arrested were nationals from Algeria, Chad, and Somalia.

Security forces also confiscated over 559 kilograms of drugs, 108,381 tablets of various types, and arrested 139 traffickers. CICO stated that these actions are part of broader efforts to dismantle criminal networks in the region.

The arrests coincide with the junta's launch of two major military operations: Operation Almah in the Tillaberi region, located on the left bank of the Niger River, and Operation Garkoua in the Agadez region, aimed at rooting out criminals.

Niger, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last September after ECOWAS threatened military intervention following the Niger coup in July.

Earlier this year, the three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States and announced the creation of a joint military force to tackle escalating security challenges posed by terrorist groups in the region.