Five Malian soldiers killed in attack in central Mali

Five Malian soldiers were killed and five wounded Sunday, August 2 in the middle of the day during two simultaneous attacks in central Mali, a region theater since the beginning of the year of several attacks attributed to the jihadists.

The double attack occurred at midday in the circle of Niono, in the region of Ségou, a hundred kilometers from the Mauritanian border, where the armed forces have suffered several serious setbacks since the beginning of the year. .

"Between Goma-Coura and Diabaly, a #FAMa [Malian Armed Forces, editor's note] mission was hooked up by terrorists. At the same time, the #Gomacoura camp was attacked with heavy weapons," the army said. on Twitter.

"During this attack, the #FAMa recorded a provisional toll of 5 dead, 5 wounded and vehicles destroyed. On the enemy side, no toll is yet available. A reinforcement has been dispatched. The excavations are still in progress. ", said the army.

The #FAMa were the subject of a complex terrorist attack on Sunday, August 2, 2020, around 12:30 p.m. Between #Gomacoura and #Diabaly, a #FAMa mission was hooked up by terrorists. At the same time, the #Gomacoura camp was attacked with heavy weapons. pic.twitter.com/hTaxxqjTrG

"It is a military convoy leaving Goma-Coura towards Diabaly" which was targeted, declared on condition of anonymity a local elected official of Diabaly, a locality about 300 km north-west of Bamako. "He fell around noon in an ambush. There are four pickups and a BRDM (armored vehicle) missing", added the elected official, explaining that the inhabitants of the region are living "with fear in their stomachs".        

Violence that spreads       

If it was from northern Mali that a rebellion of independentists and jihadists started in 2012, which marks the start of the current conflict, the violence mixed with deadly inter-community conflicts has spread to the center of the country, in particular since the appearance in 2015 of a jihadist group led by the Fulani preacher Amadou Koufa, and in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

At least 24 Malian soldiers were killed in mid-June in an ambush attributed to jihadists in the town of Bouka Wéré, south-east of Diabaly. On January 26, the Sokolo camp, also in central Mali, was the object of an attack that claimed the lives of 20 soldiers, claimed by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) , the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Relations between the army and certain communities in Niono cercle have also been strained since the start of the year. A report from Minusma, the UN Mission in Mali, accused the Malian army in April of being involved in the deaths of at least 50 people in Niono cercle between January and April.

A socio-political crisis   

At the same time, the socio-political crisis that has shaken Mali since June has still not found a solution, despite the mediation efforts at the highest level of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS ).

Some recommendations from the regional organization have been followed up, including the appointment of new judges to the Constitutional Court to settle an electoral dispute relating to the legislative elections in March-April, which triggered the current crisis.

A small government has also emerged around a few sovereign ministries, but Prime Minister Boubou Cissé has failed to convince the opposition, led by the June 5 Movement, also known as "M5-RFP", to join a national unity government. The M5-RFP, which has been calling for the departure of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta since June, announced the resumption on Monday of its actions of "civil disobedience", after observing a truce on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid al -Adha, celebrated on Friday.

On the weekend of July 10, a demonstration called for by the opposition degenerated into three days of deadly unrest, the most serious in Bamako since the 2012 coup.

President Keïta for his part reiterated on Saturday that he intended to stay in place and warned those who would attack "public and private goods".

With AFP

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