Mali: what we know about the attack on the village of Bounti
Soldiers from the Barkhane force (illustrative image).
AFP / File
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Mali, the situation is still confused following the events which occurred on Sunday in Bounti, village of the Malian Gourma.
Is it linked to a French strike, to an operation by the Malian army, are the victims civilians?
This Wednesday, Doctors Without Borders provided details on the care of the injured.
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In its press release, Médecins sans frontières mentions the care of eight wounded in its health center in Douentza.
To villagers who came on Monday to ask for help, the NGO loaned two vehicles to bring back the wounded from the villages of Bounti and Kikara.
These eight men suffered gunshot wounds, but also injuries from explosions, burns and shards of metal.
The most severely affected were then transferred to Sévaré.
Testimonies collected by AFP evoke an attack carried out by a helicopter while residents were gathered to celebrate a wedding.
Barkhane denies having used a helicopter
On Tuesday, the
Barkhane
force
said it bombed
only terrorist elements in the Bounti area at around 3 p.m. that Sunday.
She claims again this evening that she did not use any helicopter.
Reached by RFI, the FaMa spokesperson confirms the French version and maintains that the story of a strike against civilians is "propaganda".
"
There are no women or children among the wounded,
" he said again.
The proof, in his eyes, that the thesis of the wedding does not hold.
Barkhane, who recently had a forward base in Hombori, has planned major operations in this region of the Malian Gourma.
After training together last December, French and Malian soldiers were tasked with combing this area where combatants affiliated with al-Qaeda are numerous.
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Mali
France
Terrorism