More than 20 civilians were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in Mali on Monday: local government sources

Another official who spoke overnight said about 20 people had been killed and the security situation had prevented authorities from going to the scene.

Both sources asked to remain anonymous given their positions. Since the junta came to power in the West African country in 2020, information about such events is generally not made public.

The attack began before nightfall and “lasted about three hours,” said a youth representative who also wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.

“Twenty people were killed. More than half of them are young people. Some of the victims had their throats slit,” the source said.

Since 2012, Mali has been devastated by various groups linked to al-Qaeda and the terrorist militia “Islamic State”, as well as by self-proclaimed self-defense forces and bandits.

The violence also spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and military regimes took power in all three countries.

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