Mali: the Jnim gives its version of the Moura and Diallassagou massacres

A village near Djenné in central Mali, in February 2020 (illustrative image).

AFP - MICHELE CATTANI

Text by: David Baché

2 mins

The Jnim, linked to AQIM, has just published a video of the leader of the Katiba Macina, Hamadoun Koufa, his group of fighters at work in central Mali.

Hamadoun Koufa talks mainly about the operation carried out by the Malian army in Moura, near Djenné, at the end of March.

The Jnim also published a specific written statement on the Diallassagou massacre, committed just a week ago in the Bandiagara region.

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This time, his beard, usually red with henna, is as black as his cheche.

Hamadoun Kouffa refutes the version of the Malian army according to which the Fama would have killed 203 people, all jihadists, in Moura.

The leader of the Katiba Macina assures that there were only 30 combatants in the village that day and accuses the Malian soldiers, as well as their Russian auxiliaries, designated under the name of Wagner, of having killed hundreds of civilians. 

Hamadoun Kouffa also cites other joint operations of the Malian army and Wagner in Macina or Arabanda. 

This propaganda video (actually two, one in Arabic, the other in the Fulani language) was authenticated and translated by the Menastream research center, a specialist in security issues and jihadist groups in the Sahel. 

No deaths in Diallassagou, says the Jnim

The Jnim also published a written statement on its official channel Az-Zallaqa, this time about the attack on Diallassagou, circle of Bankass.

It was eight days ago.

132 civilians were killed according to the Malian government, more than a hundred according to the United Nations, but none according to the Jnim which claims to have targeted only individuals who collaborated with the Malian army during patrols which had led to executions summaries.

Local sources see it as a way for the Jnim to try to make up for it: "

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The Diallassagou attack broke the local inter-community peace agreement concluded last year: the Jnim, a jihadist group linked to AQMI, affirms in a video that it wanted to respond to operations by the Malian army during which abuses would have been committed (see above).

The army systematically denies any accusation of abuse.

These latest events threaten in any case to rekindle inter-community tensions: traditional dozo hunters against jihadists, Dogon community against Fulani community, shortcuts and amalgams are rapid and exploited by the different parties.

Also the nationals of the circle of Bankass launch an appeal for restraint to avoid a cycle of bloody reprisals.

Moumouni Guindo is president of the Association for the Development of Séno Bankass (Adeseba), which brings together residents of the Bankass circle.

We call on our parents for restraint, calm and above all to avoid the temptation of revenge, retaliation, retaliation and anything that can further destroy the social fabric.

We address all the communities of the circle of Bankass without distinction, and we ask them to resist the temptation of division, to make the effort necessary to overcome these unfortunate events and to continue to live as before. .

There are in our sector individuals from elsewhere, who belong to different terrorist tendencies, who occupy or scour the premises and who commit abuses.

This is likely to oppose one and the other because one and the other accuse each other.

We ask all communities, all people,

Moumouni Guindo

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