Al Qaeda-linked insurgents killed around 50 people, including civilians and members of pro-government self-defence groups, in coordinated attacks on two villages in central Mali, according to sources cited by Reuters on Thursday.
The assaults, which took place overnight on Wednesday in the Mopti region, are among the deadliest reported since the late-April offensive launched by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) alongside the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Fighting has continued sporadically across the country since then.
Three sources — an aid worker, a diplomat, and a security source — confirmed the attacks to Reuters, while a resident from the nearby town of Bankass said armed men stormed villages, opened fire, and looted homes.
“Unidentified armed men burst in, opening fire and ransacking the village,” the resident said.
It remains unclear how many of those killed were civilians. In central Mali, local hunting groups and self-defence militias often operate alongside the army to protect villages from militant attacks.
Mali’s military did not immediately comment on the latest killings.
The attacks come amid growing instability following the major April 25 offensive that exposed the vulnerability of Mali’s military-led government. The coordinated assault reportedly killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and forced Russian-backed forces allied with the junta to withdraw from the strategic northern town of Kidal.
Speaking during a press conference in Bamako on Wednesday, Malian army commander Djibrilla Maiga said insurgent groups were attempting to regroup after recent clashes but insisted the army was working to disrupt their operations.
“The threat is still present,” Maiga said.
JNIM also announced plans last week to impose a blockade on the capital Bamako by establishing checkpoints along major roads leading into the city.
According to Maiga, militants have focused on routes linking Bamako to the western regions of Kayes and Kita, disrupting travel and trade, while roads toward Segou in central Mali remain accessible.
In northern Mali, where FLA fighters seized Kidal and the strategic military base in Tessalit, the army has begun repositioning forces as part of its response, Maiga added without providing further details.
Maiga also claimed insurgents attempted to target junta leader Assimi Goïta using a vehicle packed with explosives, but security forces intercepted and neutralized the threat.
Goïta later appeared on state television insisting the situation in Mali remained under control.
The army says it has “neutralised” several hundred militants since the April 25 attacks, though independent verification remains difficult amid the worsening security situation.