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Suspected jihadists kill 30 in central Mali: Local officials
 [AlAhram] Suspected jihadists killed at least 30 civilians in an attack on a passenger vehicle in central Mali's volatile Mopti, local officials said Saturday."The passengers were sprayed with bullets and the vehicle was torched," during an attack by "terrorists" near the town of Bandiagara on Friday, the officials told AFP. "The state has sent security forces to the scene," they said, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... An elected official in Bandiagara confirmed the corpse count, saying the victims included women and kiddies. The attack has not been claimed by any of the numerous gangs active in the West African country. Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that first erupted in the north in 2012 and has since claimed thousands of military and civilian lives. Despite the presence of thousands of French and UN troops, the conflict has engulfed central Mali and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... and Niger. Central Mali has become one of the most A military coup last year, brought about after mass protest against the ongoing violence, has failed to stem the bloodshed.
“The shooting caused the truck to catch fire, and 31 people died, most of them burned to death,” said the mayor, who is also a member of Mali’s transitional parliament. “There were several injured and two missing.” Mali’s transitional government said in a statement broadcast on state TV that 31 people were killed and 17 injured, and vowed to do everything necessary to “arrest and punish” the perpetrators.
“Armed men … shot at the vehicle, slashed the tires, and shot at the people,” Guindo said. Also on Friday, unidentified armed men attacked a convoy belonging to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, killing one civilian worker and wounding another, the mission said. The convoy was travelling from the northern city of Kidal to Gao and came under fire about 62 miles north-east of the town of Bourem, the mission said. Related: Central Mali: 2021-11-28 Three killed as French army convoy runs into fresh trouble in Niger: Mayor Central Mali: 2021-10-07 Several Malian soldiers die in jihadi attack Central Mali: 2021-08-22 Villagers killed in western Niger attack: Local official Related: Mopti: 2021-10-22 French Army Kills Senior al-Qaeda Member, 4 Other Terrorists, in Mali Airstrike Mopti: 2021-10-07 Several Malian soldiers die in jihadi attack Mopti: 2021-04-22 Mali Army Accused of Civilian Killings, Disappearances Related: Bandiagara: 2019-06-22 Thousands of Malians demonstrate to demand end to massacres Bandiagara: 2019-06-11 At least 95 killed in central Mali village attack Bandiagara: 2019-06-11 About 100 Malians killed in attack on Dogon village Posted by: trailing wife 2021-12-05 |
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