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MALI- ATTACK
More than 10 civilians killed in Mali attack
BAMAKO, July 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – At least 10 civilians have been killed in
a possible jihadist attack in Mali’s northeast, close to the border with
Niger, according to armed Touareg groups and local authorities.
More than 100 people, including numerous civilians, have been killed in
recent months in the unstable region, where jihadist groups who have pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State group operate.
On Sunday, “armed bandits linked to local criminal groups operating on the
Mali-Niger border overran Injagalane,” a statement by two Touareg armed
groups said, referring to the jihadists.
“They opened fire on civilians,” the groups said, adding that 12 people
were killed and three vehicles set on fire.
“They are attacking all communities without exception,” the statement
added.
The attack was confirmed by an official from the government in Menaka, the
main city in the area.
“Armed men on motorbikes overran the market in Injagalane,” the official
told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“They fired into the crowd, at least 14 people were killed, and cars and
motorbikes were set on fire,” the source added.
There have been a string of attacks across Mali in recent months,
highlighting the fragile security situation in the West African nation as it
prepares to hold elections on July 29.
Mali’s unrest stems from a 2012 ethnic Tuareg separatist uprising, which
was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north.
The extremists were largely driven out in a French-led military operation
launched in January 2013.
But large stretches of the country remain outside of the control of the
foreign and Malian forces, which are frequent targets of attacks, despite a
peace accord signed with Tuareg leaders in mid-2015 aimed at isolating the
jihadists.
The violence has also spilled over into both Burkina Faso and Niger.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0810 hrs