The linked militants killed at least 48 people in eastern Mali’s Menaka region over the weekend, a Tuareg lawmaker told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Reuters, citing two security sources and two local officials, put provisional tolls between 48 and more than 70.
The attacks took place in at least five localities, and the overall toll was still being determined Tuesday, the sources said. Casualties included children and elderly people.
The Islamic State Sahel Province, known as ISSP, has not claimed responsibility.
What We Know So Far
The assault began Sunday night and ran into Monday morning, said Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a Tuareg leader and a member of Mali’s National Transitional Council.
Fighters set houses on fire and stole livestock, sending hundreds of civilians fleeing to Menaka town, Reuters’ sources said. Some of the dead were killed in the fires, and others were shot.
On Monday, the Malian army announced it had located a major base with “several terrorist elements” and military equipment 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Menaka. “The site was targeted and successfully struck,” an army statement said.
What Authorities Are Saying
A Malian military spokesperson and Russia’s embassy in Bamako did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Mali has previously denied killing civilians in counterinsurgency operations.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Mali’s government.
Differing Accounts
The sources give different reasons for the attack. Reuters’ four sources said the killings appeared to be retaliation for abuses allegedly carried out last week by a pro-government militia known as MSA and by Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary group that backs Bamako. A municipal official in Menaka told Reuters the militiamen, who accompanied the army, “killed about a dozen people” suspected of being informants, set fire to houses, and stole property.
Acharatoumane told the AP that the group attacked civilians it accused of revealing ISSP positions to the Malian army, which had been carrying out a drone strike on the group.
The toll also varies. The AP’s source said 48 dead, while Reuters’ sources gave provisional figures from 48 to more than 70. The timing is described as Sunday by Reuters and as Sunday night into Monday morning by the AP.
Why This Matters
The violence comes amid heavier fighting between the regional Islamic State group and al Qaeda affiliates, adding to insecurity across West Africa’s Sahel. Mali has been fighting insurgents since 2012, when Tuareg separatists and al Qaeda linked militants swept across the north and triggered a French military intervention.
In April, the al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front staged nationwide attacks that killed the defense minister and hit Bamako’s main airport. JNIM has since been locked in fierce fighting with ISSP. Last week, ISSP said it killed 400 JNIM fighters after thwarting an ambush in neighboring Burkina Faso, a claim that would make it the deadliest single battle between the two groups if confirmed.
The two groups first clashed in 2019 and have fought hundreds of times since, leaving more than 2,000 dead, according to the monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.
The Sahel has become the deadliest place in the world for extremism. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have struggled to turn the tide of attacks despite seizing power and turning to Russia for help.
What Happens Next
The final death toll in Menaka has not been confirmed. Neither the army nor Russia has responded to the allegations about last week’s abuses.
Sources: Reuters and the Associated Press
