Anurag Kumar
Two local sources said on Saturday that gunmen attacked a village in the Mopti region of central Mali on Friday, killing at least 21 villagers there. The region has been struck hard by an ongoing insurgency.
According to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to protect their identities, the attack took place in the afternoon and targeted the village of Yarou, which is located close to the town of Bandiagara.
“It was an absolute massacre; armed men stormed into the village and opened fire on the villagers.” According to one of the individuals who spoke to us by phone, “the toll is heavy between 20 and 30 killed and wounded.”
According to the second source, the number of fatalities has been recorded as 21, including females, and 11 other people have been injured.
It was not possible for Reuters to independently verify their accounts. There was an immediate lack of a claim of responsibility for the attack from any party.
Following a Tuareg separatist uprising in 2012, the West African nation is currently engaged in a battle against a deadly insurgency that has ties to both al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The insurgency took root in the nation’s parched north.
Since then, militants have extended to other nations in the Sahel region south of the Sahara, capturing territory, killing thousands of people, and driving millions of more from their homes in the process.
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Since August of last year, there have been two military coups in Mali as a direct result of the mounting frustration with the country’s security situation. The regime has severed ties with its old Western partners and has instead sought assistance from Russian mercenaries.
Concerns that the country could descend further into anarchy have been exacerbated by its sudden demand in June for the withdrawal of United Nations forces.
