At least 13 civilians have been killed since Tuesday (June 27th) by suspected jihadists of the Islamic State group in northern Mali, two local elected officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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The provisional toll is now 13 dead, a dozen wounded and hundreds of populations abandoning several villages in the commune of Gabéro, "in the Gao region, said a local elected official who said that the Malian army was not present on the scene. "They killed a lot of people, more than 17 people," another local authority said. "All the young people have left. Usually they take the animals away. This is the first time they (jihadists) have killed like this," he added.
Fear of aggravation
The regions of Gao and Menaka, further east, have been the scene since early 2022 of a vast offensive by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). The violence has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths. People are moving en masse to cities or camps, including across the border with Niger. Various observers and experts explain that the jihadists have rushed into the vacuum left by the departure in 2022 of the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane, pushed out by the junta in power since August 2020 which has turned politically and militarily towards Russia.
On June 16, taking everyone by surprise, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop also demanded the "withdrawal without delay" of the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), denouncing its "failure". A base of the organization is located in Gao, about fifty kilometers north of the village affected by the attack. Its withdrawal raises fears of a worsening of the security situation in the region, which is already very difficult. The Security Council vote, which should record the end demanded by Bamako of MINUSMA is scheduled for Friday.
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