The Mali police announced that 5 of its members were killed, another wounded, and 3 missing in an attack in southwestern Mali, at a time when the army confirmed that it was working to repel what it described as a second "jihadist attack" in the north.
The first attack occurred on Sunday morning in the village of Sona in the Koutiala region, near the border with Burkina Faso.
The police said - in a statement - that a number of its members, who were returning from service at the Sona border point, were wounded by an explosive device, and then came under heavy fire from attackers whose identities have not yet been determined, noting that searches are currently underway for the missing.
At the same time, the Malian army revealed that it responded strongly to an attack by armed men on its outpost in Test, in the Gao region, in northern Mali.
The armed forces indicated - in a statement on Twitter - that they killed 5 of the attackers, and 4 Malian soldiers were killed, in addition to two other civilians.
The army confirmed that the attack was carried out by jihadists belonging to the "Islamic State in the Greater Sahara", without giving further details.
Mali - a poor and landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel region - witnessed two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.
The political crisis is accompanied by another dangerous security situation that has been going on since 2012, in addition to the outbreak of a separatist and “jihadist” rebellion in the north, which caused the death and displacement of thousands of civilians.