An attack blamed on militants in central Mali killed more than 20 civilians on Monday, two local officials said, in the latest killings in the troubled Sahel region.
Mali has for over a decade been ravaged by militants and other armed groups, with the centre of the West African country becoming a hotbed of violence since 2015.
“At least 21 civilians have been killed” in the village of Djiguibombo, several dozen kilometres (miles) from the town of Bandiagara, an official from the provincial authority said on Wednesday.
He attributed the attack to militants.
Anot her provincial authority official and a local youth representative put the death toll at about 20.
All spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons or because of their positions. Since the junta came to power in 2020, information about such incidents is not generally made public.
An unknown number of people are missing.
The attack began before nightfall and “lasted around three hours”, the youth representative said.
“Twenty people have been killed. More than half are young people. Some victims had their throats cut,” the source added.
Others were shot dead, the main organisation representing the local Dogon ethnic group said in a statement.
The attackers looted houses, set fire to the health centre and motorbikes, and took away livestock and supplies, the organisation, Ginna Dogon, said.
The attack is “the latest tragedy in a dark series that the Dogon country has been going through for several years, with daily attacks on villages, farmers in the fields, killings and kidnappings”, it added.
“Many inhabitants fled towards Bandiagara. Those who stayed were not even able to bury the dead properly,” the youth representative said.