Dozens killed in jihadist attacks on villages in central Mali

Dozens of people have reportedly been killed in attacks on two villages in central Mali, the deadliest assault since armed groups launched a co-ordinated offensive in the country last month.

At least 30 people were killed when jihadists raided the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou in Mopti region, according to sources quoted by the AFP news agency. Other diplomatic and aid sources separately told the Reuters news agency the death toll from Wednesday's simultaneous attacks had reached at least 50.

The al Qaeda-linked group JNIM said it was responsible.

The Malian army said it had conducted a "targeted operation" in the area, where about a dozen jihadist fighters were "neutralised".

Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.

Last month saw nationwide, coordinated attacks by an alliance of jihadists and separatist rebels in the north - the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) - seeking to overthrow the military regime of Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a coup in 2020.

During the attacks, Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital, Bamako.

A security source told AFP the Wednesday night attacks were carried out in retaliation for acts attributed to the Dan Na Ambassagou militia, a self-defence group formed by local communities in response to years of violence in central Mali.

"Unidentified armed men burst in, opening fire and ransacking the village," a resident told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear how many civilians had been killed, with several villagers still reported missing.

"The victims are mostly militiamen. But there are also teenagers and children," a source told AFP.

WAMAPS, a network of West African journalists specialising in Sahel security, said the provisional death toll exceeded 50 villagers.

"Villages have been looted and some properties set on fire," the group added.

In a statement on Thursday, the governor of the Bandiagara region condemned the attacks, terming them "despicable and inhumane acts".

In a counter-attack, the army said it had neutralised nearly 10 "terrorists" and destroyed their logistical base.

At a news conference in Bamako on Wednesday, Malian army commander Djibrilla Maiga said fighters were trying to regroup after the April attacks, which killed the defence minister.

"The threat is still present," Maiga said, adding that the military was working to disrupt their advance.

Earlier this week, Goïta announced he would replace Camara as defence minister, with assistance from army chief of staff Gen Oumar Diarra.

Mali's army has been working with the Russian paramilitary group, the Africa Corps, which emerged from the Wagner Group, against the insurgents.

In the face of the attacks, the Russians were forced to withdraw from the northern city of Kidal, which is now under FLA control. The FLA have said they will march on other cities in the north and have demanded the withdrawal of the Africa Corps from the entire country.

On top of the resurgence in violence, the insurgents have also imposed a blockade on the capital by setting up checkpoints on the roads leading into the city.

The junta had popular support when it took power, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis prompted by the Tuareg rebellion in the north, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

UN peacekeepers and French forces deployed to deal with the escalating insurgency left after the junta took over.

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