Gunmen have attacked several villages in northern Mali, “shooting at anything that moved” and killing at least 51 people in apparent retribution for the recent arrest of several rebel leaders, authorities said.
The latest violence took place in the volatile area along the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where fighters linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda are active.The latest violence took place in the volatile area along the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where fighters linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda are active.No group has yet taken responsibility for the attacks. Mali’s army spokesman Colonel Souleymane Dembele confirmed the attacks on Monday but gave no further details.
The attackers arrived on Sunday around 6pm local time (18:00 GMT) in the communities of Ouatagouna and Karou, local official Oumar Cisse said.
“Most of the victims were in front of their houses; others were going to the mosque,” he told The Associated Press.
Houses were ransacked and burned to the ground and herds of livestock carried away by the attackers who were riding on motorbikes, according to local officials.The attack came a week after the Malian army arrested two rebel leaders who had been denounced by residents of Ouattagouna and Karou.
Rebel fighters have been a threat in the area for years. Fighters first seized control of cities in northern Mali back in 2012. Although a French-led military drive forced the rebels out of the urban centres the following year, they quickly regrouped in rural areas and have continued to launch devastating attacks on military targets.
Civilians are increasingly coming under attack as well, with hundreds killed since January in a series of mass killings in villages near the border of Niger and Mali.
France, the former colonial power in the region, announced last month that it would be withdrawing more than 2,000 troops by early next year from the Sahel region, the vast area below the Sahara Desert that stretches across several countries.
