Mali: Suspected Jihadists Kill 40 Civilians in Northeastern Mali

FILE - Malian troops and former Tuareg rebels patrol in Gao, Feb. 23, 2017. The patrols were meant to help calm a region under threat from multiple extremist and other armed groups

Share this trending news with friends





BAMAKO, MALI — A governor in Mali said Saturday that suspected jihadists had killed at least 40 civilians in two attacks near the country’s border with Niger, where attacks have increased in the past year.

Menaka Gov. Daouda Maiga said gunmen on motorbikes staged the assaults Thursday and Friday. He said Fulani members of Islamic State Greater Sahara most likely attacked in retaliation for military actions supported by Tuaregs in the region.

In recent months Tuareg civilian defense groups, supported by French soldiers, have fought against jihadists in northeastern Mali.

The jihadist attacks may also be an attempt to further exploit tensions between Tuaregs and Fulani herdsmen over land.

In early April, the head of the U.N. mission in Mali’s human rights division, Guillaume Ngefa, said Tuaregs had killed 95 Fulani civilians in the region.
– Associated Press



About the Author

Michael Onas
Africa - Online Founder & Senior Editor Africa - Online.Com was founded by Michael Onas in 1997, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in African news sector, with millions of readers around the world and followers on social media.