Mali: Radical Islamists kill 132 civilians

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Armed members of the Malian armed forces are celebrated by the population (in August 2020)

Photo: AFP

According to the military government in Mali, radical Islamists killed a total of 132 civilians in several attacks over the weekend.

Among other things, three villages in the Mopti region were attacked by members of the Katiba Macina group in the night from Saturday to Sunday, according to a government statement, as reported by Reuters.

According to the UN, the fighters of the Islamist militia linked to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda are also responsible for dozens of attacks and ambushes against Malian soldiers.

There have been three military coups in the West African country since 2012 - Mali is considered to be politically extremely unstable.

Since the most recent coup in May, the country has been led by a transitional military government that is supposed to maintain close ties with Russia.

Mali has had dealings with Islamist terrorist groups for years.

The military junta has promised elections by the end of March 2024.

The Bundeswehr is still present in Mali, it is involved in the UN peacekeeping mission "Minusma" - a UN-led blue helmet operation to protect the civilian population.

The mission is to take action against Islamist fighters in the region and protect areas and the population in central Mali from attacks.

However, the European training mission EUTM will be largely stopped in the future.

ani/dpa/Reuters