The Malian army said on Thursday (June 23rd) it carried out airstrikes against al-Qaeda-affiliated Katiba Macina jihadists in the center of the country following the massacre of at least 132 civilians.
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The army said in a press release received by AFP on Thursday that it had carried out these strikes between Monday and Wednesday in the vicinity of Bankass and Ségué, near the scene of the massacre, but also further in the areas of Djenné and Ténenkou.
“
These actions are the result of efforts to research and clarify information on the perpetrators of the attacks against civilian populations on June 18
“, adds the press release.
The army did not provide any assessment of these operations.
Mali experienced one of its worst civilian carnages over the weekend, which is also the latest in an ongoing series across the Sahel.
According to the government, 132 civilians were killed in Diallassagou and two surrounding localities, a few dozen kilometers from Bankass.
The Malian army described these killings as the backlash of the "
strong pressure
" to which the jihadists have been subjected on its part for several months according to it.
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The UN, France and many observers say they are seriously concerned about the deterioration in security in Mali.
Several dozen residents demonstrated in Bankass on Tuesday to demand state protection.
Mali has been plunged into a deep security, political and humanitarian crisis since the outbreak of separatist and jihadist insurgencies in 2012 in the North.
The jihadist spread has spread to the center and neighboring countries, Burkina Faso and Niger.