Armed men killed thirty-two civilians in Mali
At least thirty-two civilians were killed in central Mali when unidentified armed men on motorbikes attacked ethnic Dogon farming villages on Wednesday the 1st of July. The attackers targeted four communities in the Mopti region, which has seen dozens of ethnic massacres as well as jihadist raids over the past few years.
The mayor of the town of Bankass, Moulaye Guindo, released a list of victims the next day placing the death toll at thirty-two. Other officials in the area said “they believed the attacks were carried out by jihadists, who often say they are defending Fulani herders against rival Dogon farmers.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the violence, which took place in an area around 30 km (19 miles) from the border with Burkina Faso.
Mali has been in crisis since 2012 when al Qaeda-linked militants seized its northern desert. French forces intervened the following year to drive them back, but militants linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State have since regrouped and extended their operations into Burkina Faso and Niger.
Source: persecution.org
Image: independent.co.uk
