Malian army says it has "neutralized" around 30 jihadists

The Malian army said Friday it had "neutralized" the day before thirty jihadists on the border with Burkina Faso.

"The FAMa (Malian armed forces, editor's note) neutralized in the afternoon of May 14, 2020 about thirty terrorists on the border with Burkina Faso," said the army on social networks. "At least 25 motorcycles have been recovered, along with other materials and equipment," she said.

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The Malian army commonly hears "kill" by "neutralize" . However, no further details were provided on the circumstances or the location of the confrontation, which no other source has corroborated.

The border area with Burkina Faso is one of the theaters of operations between the Malian forces and the jihadists. Mali has been the theater since 2012 of a multifaceted crisis which has left thousands of dead, civilians and combatants.

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A peace agreement was signed in 2015 with ex-separatist rebels from the north, which fell in 2012 to jihadist groups. But the country remains prey to the actions of these groups, to inter-community tensions, sometimes fomented or fanned by these same jihadists, and to traffics of all kinds undermining the authority of the State, which is exerted only on parts of the territory.