In northern Mali, an attack carried out on the night of Sunday 8 August to Monday 9 August by heavily armed individuals resulted in the deaths of around 50 civilians, according to local authorities.
“It was on Monday morning that a mission of the defense and security forces was dispatched to the scene,” said Oumar Kida, deputy prefect of Ansongo, quoted by the Anadolu agency.
For his part, Mahamane Bacala, deputy mayor of Ouatagouna commune, said the attack targeted four villages, namely Karou (17 dead), Dirgua (7), Deouteguef (14) and Ouatagouna (10).
According to an elected municipal official, the balance sheet could be revised upwards in view of the number of injured people not yet known.
As a reminder, Mali has been plagued by recurrent attacks since 2012. The deployment of UN and foreign forces since 2013 has not stabilized the country.
