Ten civilians and three soldiers were killed and 88 jihadists "
neutralized
" in multiple incidents on Saturday (April 22nd) in Mali, the government said, in a wave of violence it described as a "resurgence
of treacherous terrorist incidents
".
Early this Saturday morning, suspected jihadists attacked the area of Sévaré airport, in the Mopti region (center), by detonating car bombs which "caused the collapse of some houses" and left
"
10
dead and 61 wounded, all civilians
,” he said in a statement.
Two local elected officials and a diplomatic source designated the location of the attack as a camp housing Russian troops.
"
Thanks to the legendary determination of our valiant Armed Forces, operating exclusively with their means, the attackers were routed with the neutralization of 28 terrorists
," the statement said.
Four strong explosions
In 2022, the Malian junta began working with what it calls Russian "
instructors
".
But for opponents, it would rather be mercenaries from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
“
It was the camp of the Russians and their planes that was targeted.
The camp is near the airport
,” a local elected official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
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The attack began around 05:30 (local and GMT) and ended around 08:00, according to military and local sources.
Four loud explosions were heard, followed by automatic weapon fire, several people on the spot told AFP.
Smoke was also seen near the airport.
The Malian army has since regained control of the area.
According to a local elected official, Senegalese soldiers from Minusma, the UN mission in Mali, intervened.
The Minusma camp covers four hectares of land next to the airport and the Malian army camp which houses the Russians.
Minusma said in a statement on Saturday that it "
strongly condemns the April 22 attacks on the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) camp in Sévaré and the car bomb attacks which left civilians dead and injured"
. , and stands "
ready to provide all necessary support to the Malian authorities for the conduct of the required investigations
".
"Car bomb attack"
Colonel Abass Dembele, governor of the Mopti region, went to the scene of the attack, described by his services as a "
car bomb attack
" which targeted an "
air base
" in Sévaré.
"
He first visited the wounded admitted to the Somine Dolo hospital before then going (...) to the airport area where the car bomb packed with explosives exploded without reaching its target", indicated
the governorate.
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For his part, a Malian military source in Sévaré simply mentioned "
a terrorist attack
".
"
It's a complex attack that required a vehicle bomb and guerrilla techniques
," said another military source.
Mali has been plagued by jihadist spread and violence of all kinds since the outbreak of rebellions in the north of the country in 2012. It has been ruled since August 2020 by a military junta, which broke a long-standing alliance with France and other Western partners associated with the fight against jihadism, and turned militarily and politically towards Russia.
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