Al-Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 30 people in coordinated attacks on two villages in central Mali Wednesday, marking the deadliest assault since armed groups launched a major offensive against the military government last month.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the simultaneous strikes on the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou in Mali's Mopti region. Death toll estimates vary, with sources reporting between 30 and 50 casualties.
"At least 35 people were killed on Wednesday in near simultaneous attacks," a youth official told AFP.
A resident described the assault: > "Unidentified armed men burst in, opening fire and ransacking the village."
The Malian army responded with what it called a "targeted operation" in the area, claiming to have neutralized about a dozen fighters and destroyed their logistical base.
Retaliation Against Local Militia
The Wednesday strikes targeted communities already traumatized by years of intercommunal violence. A security source indicated the attacks were retaliation against the Dan Na Ambassagou militia, a self-defense group formed by local Dogon communities in response to years of violence in central Mali.
"The victims are mostly militiamen. But there are also teenagers and children," the security source told AFP.
WAMAPS, a network of West African journalists specializing in Sahel security, reported that > "Villages have been looted and some properties set on fire," with several villagers still missing.
The governor of the Bandiagara region condemned what he called > "despicable and inhumane acts in the strongest possible terms."
Security Crisis Deepens
The village attacks follow devastating assaults on April 25-26 that fundamentally altered Mali's security landscape. JNIM and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), an ethnic Tuareg separatist movement, launched coordinated strikes on strategic locations including Kidal in the desert north and Kati, a garrison town near the capital Bamako.
Advertisement
That offensive killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara in a car bomb attack at his residence. The loss of Camara has left the military government of General Assimi Goïta struggling to maintain control.
Kidal and other northern towns now remain under FLA control, with the groups imposing a blockade on Bamako that has disrupted supply lines.
"The threat is still present," Malian army commander Djibrilla Maiga said at a news conference, adding that the military was working to disrupt militant advances.
Historical Pattern of Violence
Central Mali has experienced recurring cycles of violence since 2012, when a Tuareg rebellion was hijacked by Islamist militants. The Dan Na Ambassagou militia, primarily composed of traditional Dogon hunters, formed in response to years of attacks but has itself been accused of retaliatory violence.
Malian authorities have accused Dan Na Ambassagou of a March 2019 massacre at Ogossagou village in which about 160 Fulani civilians were killed, and the militia has refused government orders to disband.
The latest attacks underscore how Mali's security crisis continues to deepen despite military government promises to restore stability. Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.
The country has been under military rule since back-to-back coups in 2020, with the military government having expelled UN peacekeepers and French forces while seeking alternative security partnerships.
