Gunmen killed at least 20 civilians on Saturday in several localities north of the city of Gao (north).
A suspected jihadist act
“Criminal terrorists murdered at least twenty civilians on Saturday in several hamlets in the town of Anchawadj”, a few tens of kilometers north of Gao, a regional police official told AFP by telephone under cover. of anonymity. A local elected official confirmed the death of 24 civilians, blaming the attack on jihadists. Another police officer in Bamako also confirmed to AFP “the assassination on Saturday of around twenty civilians in Ebak, 35 km north of Gao, and in neighboring localities”, referring to “an act perpetrated by armed criminals “.
“Jihadists murdered 24 civilians in the commune of Anchawadj on Saturday. There is general panic,” said a local authority. No other source confirmed that the jihadists were the perpetrators of the attacks.
A “severely deteriorated” security situation
The elected representative of the region of Gao, one of the main cities in the north of the country, describes “a very worrying situation in the commune of Anchawadj” and many civilians fleeing the abuses “of the jihadists” in the neighboring villages. The Gao region has been the scene of violence since the start of the conflict in 2012, when armed rebel groups rose up against Bamako. In 2015, they signed a peace agreement with Mali, which is still struggling to be applied.
In addition to these now ex-rebel armed groups, jihadist groups – affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization – operate in the area, fighting against the symbols of the state, those they accuse of supporting it. , as well as among themselves for territorial control and influence. Traffickers and other bandits are also present in this desert region where the State is almost non-existent.
The security situation has recently “severely deteriorated” in the Gao region, and that of Ménaka further east on the border with Niger, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his latest report.