Yet-to-be identified armed men have slain about 40 people in an attack on a village in insurgent-plagued central Mali, according to reports by local officials on Tuesday.
The attack had occurred on Monday in Djiguibombo village, situated in the Mopti region – one of the several areas in Mali’s north and centre where jihadist groups associated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State have been active for over 10 years.
What They’re Saying
The Bankass Mayor, Moulaye Guindo had when contacted on phone, said;
“It was a very serious attack, armed men surrounded the village and shot at people.”
At the time of filing this report, the official death toll account hasn’t been verified but two local officials who spoke on condition of anonymity had said that about 40 people were killed.
“It was carnage, they surrounded the village where there was a wedding … There was panic, some people managed to flee, but many were killed, most of them men.” one police official had said.
At press time, no group has claimed responsibility for this attack.
Why It Matters
Violence has steadily increased in West Africa’s central Sahel region since religious insurgencies took root in Mali and proliferated into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands and displacing millions of people as a result.
The insecurity has helped encouraged two coups in Mali, one in Burkina Faso, and one in Niger since 2020.
The lack of a group claiming responsibility adds to the mystery of this incident. Whether planned and executed by local factions or external forces, this attack heightens the urgency for regional security cooperation.
