Mali: after the Diallassagou massacre, how to break the deadlock?

Some Malians want more presence of the Malian armed forces, while others fear the military response (Image d'illustration).

© MICHELE CATTANI/AFP

Text by: David Baché

1 min

In the circle of Bankass, where the Diallassagou massacre has just taken place, the reactions are vigorous and sometimes contradictory.

Jihadist attacks, anti-terrorist military operations... the dead are piling up, concern is growing and the inhabitants are wondering: how to get out of the impasse?

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There are those who expect a strong military reaction.

Some residents thus deplore the inertia of the army which did not intervene in time to avoid

, despite the alerts.

The civil society of the circle of Bankass even launched a movement of civil disobedience yesterday, to demand the security of people and their property, as well as the release of the inhabitants of the circle currently detained by the jihadists of Katiba Macina.

In short: more army for more security.

But there are also those – disarray favoring contradictions, they are sometimes the same – who fear the Malian military response.

The recent operations carried out in the area have left a bitter memory to the inhabitants, in particular of the Fulani community: stocks of cereals carried away, water points destroyed.

Several local sources believe that the action of the Fama has done more to relaunch the cycle of violence than to secure the inhabitants of the circle of Bankass, where a local inter-community peace agreement was sealed last year.

These sources point to the influence of the Russian auxiliaries of the Malian army and that of the dozo hunters, from self-defense groups on the front line against the jihadists, and recently recruited into the army.

An elected member of the circle finally explains that some young Fulani have recently joined the ranks of the jihadists, to face the violence of the army against their community.

►Also read: In Mali, the national union does not exclude questions after the Diallassagou massacre

Anger at Bankass after the massacre

Francois Mazet

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• mali

• Defense

• Terrorism