Twenty-six people were killed on Friday (June 6th) in an attack on the village of Binedema in central Mali, prey to jihadist and intercommunity violence, according to an association and two local officials.

Residents of the village, located in the Mopti region, mainly belong to the Fulani community, said Aly Barry, of the Fulani association, which reported 26 dead. This assessment was confirmed by two local officials.

Central Mali plagued by violence since 2015

Central Mali has been the scene of numerous violence since 2015 and the appearance of a jihadist group led by the Peul preacher Amadou Koufa, who widely recruited from his community, and joined the Support Group for Islam and the Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel affiliated with Al-Qaeda, since its creation in 2017.

Attacks, often followed by reprisals, have multiplied. They took an intercommunity turn between the Peuls, mainly breeders, and the Bambara and Dogon ethnic groups, who mainly practice agriculture.

The latter have created self-defense groups based on traditional hunters, accused of abuses.

With AFP

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