Mali has been plagued by al-Qaeda-linked and ethnic-based armed groups, but has forced the departure of UN peacekeepers.
Unidentified gunmen killed approximately 40 people in an attack on a village in central Mali, local authorities said.
The attack took place on Monday in the village of Djiguibombo, in the Mopti region, one of several areas in northern and central Mali where groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have operated for more than a decade.
“It was a very serious attack, armed men surrounded the village and shot people,” Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the city of Bankass, told Reuters news agency.
Although he did not provide a death toll, two local officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around 40 people were killed.
“It was carnage, they surrounded the village where there was a wedding… There was panic, some people managed to escape, but many were killed, most of them men”, said one of those responsible.
A local youth representative told AFP news agency that the attack began before dark and “lasted for around three hours”.
“Many inhabitants fled to Bandiagara [town]. Those who remained could not even bury the dead properly,” he said.
Authorities have not identified the attackers and no group has claimed responsibility.
Groups aligned with al-Qaeda and ISIL have operated in Mali since 2015, seizing territory and making areas of the country ungovernable.
Violence that began in the north spread across the country that year when Katiba Macina, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, was created and led by Fulani preacher Amadou Kouffa.
A military government took power after a coup d’état in 2020, promising to combat growing insecurity, but attacks remain frequent. The military has also been accused of rights abuses, according to international human rights groups.
In December, the United Nations mission in Mali – known as the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) – officially ended a 10-year deployment in a withdrawal ordered by Mali’s military government.
Since the 2020 coup, Mali’s military rulers have severed their alliances with France and European partners, turning politically and militarily to Russia.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
