An Al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has been accused of killing 12 truck drivers, including two teenage apprentices, in western Mali’s Kayes region.
The attack on a military-escorted fuel convoy happened in late January, with six drivers still missing.
The convoy, carrying fuel from Senegal’s capital Dakar, was ambushed, and witnesses reported that JNIM fighters executed the drivers after capturing them.
JNIM, operating mainly in Mali and Burkina Faso, aims to impose Islamic rule across the Sahel region.
The group’s actions have led to a fuel supply blockade, prompting Malian authorities to use armed escorts.
Human Rights Watch has condemned the attack as an apparent war crime.
