More than 20 people were killed in a series of brutal attacks on villages in Mali’s conflict-ridden Mopti region on Friday, according to two local sources.
The unidentified assailants, suspected to be Islamic militants, launched their attacks during the day and continued into the evening, targeting six villages in the Bandiagara area.
The attackers, reportedly arriving in large numbers on motorcycles, ransacked homes, set villages ablaze, and left a trail of destruction.
“They killed everyone and destroyed everything in sight,” one source disclosed, speaking anonymously.
The ruling military junta has yet to release an official statement regarding the attacks.
Mali has been grappling with escalating violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State since a Tuareg separatist uprising in 2012.
The insurgency has since spread across the Sahel region, resulting in widespread displacement, thousands of deaths, and significant territorial control by militant groups.
