Mali 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed in attacks on

Mali: 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed in attacks on a boat and a military base

Two attacks on Thursday killed 64 people, including 49 civilians and 15 soldiers “Allegedly terrorists” The military-dominated government said it was attacked by al-Qaeda and attacked a passenger transport ship and a military base in northern Mali, where three days of national mourning were declared starting Friday.

The two separate attacks targeted this “The Timbuktu Boat” on the Niger and “the position of the army” in Bamba, in the Gao region (north). “A preliminary number of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed”According to a government press release, which does not specify how many people on the ship and in the camp died as a result of the attacks, ” claims » from a group linked to al-Qaeda.

Three days of national mourning

The Bamba attack was claimed on Thursday on the Al-Zallaqa propaganda platform by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM or Jnim after the Arabic acronym), a jihadist alliance linked to Al-Qaeda, according to SITE, an American NGO specializes in monitoring radical groups.

Both attacks were “claims” Through the GSIM, the government stated in its press release that the attack on the boat also took place “Injuries and property damage”. The army’s response made it possible “ neutralize around fifty terrorists,” according to the same source.

The government announced three days of national mourning starting Friday in a separate statement. The Malian shipping company’s boat (Comanav, public) was attacked in the Gourma-Rharous sector between Timbuktu and Gao, the Malian army had previously made clear on social networks.

The boat was targeted “At least three rockets were fired against the engine,” AFP told Comanav, which uses a few ships to provide an important connection over several hundred kilometers from Koulikoro, near Bamako, to Gao through the major cities on the river.

Up to 300 passengers

Several passengers threw themselves into the water as soon as the first shots were fired at the ship, a Comanav official told AFP. The Timbuktu can carry about 300 passengers, company officials said on condition of anonymity, without commenting on the number of people actually on board.

Soldiers were on board as an escort amid a security threat in the region, a military official said on condition of anonymity. Rare images broadcast on social networks, intended to reflect the situation in an area that is difficult to access and difficult to access, show a thick cloud of black smoke rising over a river landscape.

On September 1st, a boat was attacked with a rocket in the Mopti region further south, leaving one dead, a 12-year-old child and two injured. The river link was used by various users, traders or families and seemed safer to many than the road, a Comanav agent told AFP.

blockade

This attack came a few weeks after the GSIM announced in early August that it would impose a blockade on Timbuktu, commensurate with the ongoing reconfiguration of security around “ the city of 333 saints » listed as a world heritage site.

The UN mission (Minusma), which was driven out of Mali by the ruling junta, has just handed over two camps near Timbuktu, Ber and Goundam, to Malian authorities. This seizure of power by the Malian state led to fighting with jihadists, but also clashes with former Tuareg rebels.

Timbuktu, with its tens of thousands of residents bordering the Sahara, is one of the major northern cities that fell into the hands of Tuareg rebels and then Salafists after the uprising broke out in 2012. French forces and Malians took over the city in 2013.

peace treaty

Tuareg-dominated groups signed a peace deal with the Malian state in 2015, while jihadists continued hostilities. The violence has spread to the center and neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands. Citing the security crisis, the military has taken turns in taking power in the three countries since 2020. Recent tensions in northern Mali are raising fears over the survival of the 2015 accord.

The Malian military ousted the French anti-jihadist force in 2022 and the UN mission in 2023 and turned militarily and politically to Russia. They have made restoring sovereignty one of their mantras. But large areas remain beyond their control and various experts assume that the security situation has further deteriorated under their leadership.