27 civilians killed, many injured, as gunmen attack Mali’s central region of Mopti

Tragedy struck in Mali’s central region of Mopti when heavily armed gunmen on motorbikes attacked ethnic Dogon farming villages close to the border with Burkina Faso, killing 27 civilians and injuring many others.

Eyewitnesses said that the gunmen came from a neighbouring Fulani town on Thursday and started shooting sporadically at civilians in the area who were tending to their farms and cattle.

It is not clear if Islamist militants carried out the attack in the area which has witnessed tit-for-tat attacks between the two communities which have escalated over the last year fueled by the perception that jihadist groups have sheltered in and have recruited from Fulani villages.

READ ALSO: Militants attack convoy, kill 24 soldiers in Mali ambush

This came two weeks after an attack on a military convoy in central Mali by armed militants witnessed the killing of no fewer than 24 soldiers and the injuring of eight others.

Army officials said about 12 vehicles had been in the convoy and four of them were destroyed in the ambush.

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