International
Suspected jihadists massacre over 130 civilians in Mali
Gunmen suspected to be jihadists have massacred more than 130 civilians in several communities in Mali in a weekend of bloody orgy, the West African military authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.
The government announced the deaths as several local officials described scenes of systematic killings by armed men in Diallassagou and two surrounding towns in the Bankass circle which is a hotbed of militant violence in the country.
Mass burning of houses, looting and abductions were also reported on social media which also drew the attention of the international community.
A resident of Diallassagou who gave his name as Nouhoum Togo, told officials that he managed to escape the carnage while many were not as lucky.
Read also:Gunmen reportedly kill three in Kaduna Catholic Church
“They came, they said to the people ‘you are not Muslims’ in the Fulani language, they said ‘you are not Muslims’. So they took the men, a hundred people went out with them, at 2 km they systematically shot people.
“They left with others, the next day we discovered the mutilated bodies”, Togo who is the President of the USR Party and friend to many of the victims said.
Mali has witnessed incidents of jihadist attacks since 2012 and has been rocked by insurgency by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, plunging the country into crisis.
Violence that began in the north has since spread to the centre and to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, with civilians often subjected to reprisals by jihadists who accuse them of collaborating with the enemy.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...