23 Dead, 300 Missing in Mali Attacks
A group of armed men attacked three Fulani villages in central Mali’s Mopti region on Sunday, 30 June, leaving 23 civilians dead and 300 more missing.
Central Mali is engulfed by two-fold violence carried out by jihadists and by rival ethnic groups, specifically Fulani herders and Dogon farmers fighting over access to land.
According to Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the town of Ouenkoro, the attacks took place in the neighbouring villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran.
After raiding Saran first, the armed men – believed to be Dogon hunters – burned down the village of Bidi and attacked its cattle.
Calling for an emergency meeting regarding the attacks, Sankare added: “The situation is serious, [and] the army needs to act to reassure the population.”
Meanwhile, another attack took place on Sunday – 12 civilians, including a baby, were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine. It is unknown who set the device.
In March, violence in the region surged when Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani herders in the region. Last month, raids on Dogon villages killed over 40 people.
