DAKAR: Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 civilians in central Mali, numerous sources told AFP on Sunday, the latest attack in a region roiled by violence for years.
“The jihadists fired at villagers three kilometres from Diallassagou. The provisional toll is 18 dead and 21 wounded”, three residents of the village told AFP. A police source and a regional official confirmed the attack, but gave the death toll of 19 and blamed “terrorists” and “armed men”.
“We confirm. The terrorists killed civilians in Diallassagou in cold blood,” the police source said, adding “there are 19 dead and 21 wounded. They accuse the civilians of helping the Malian army”.
An elected official in Bandiagara, a town some 60-kms from Diallassagou, told AFP on condition of anonymity that “the unidentified armed men killed 19 farmers in their fields. All of the victims are those who have been displaced and have settled in Diallassagou”.
Another Dandiagara official also said that 19 farmers had been killed by unidentified armed men.