BAMAKO, Mali — Attacks by jihadist rebels over the weekend in the West African nation of Mali killed 132 civilians, the federal government stated Monday.
The killings occurred when a number of villages close to Bankass, in central Mali, had been attacked, the federal government stated in an announcement. The assaults counsel that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali’s north to extra central areas like Bankass.
Three days of nationwide mourning, beginning Tuesday, have been declared by the top of the ruling junta, Col. Assimi Goita.
In a separate incident, a United Nations peacekeeper died on Sunday from accidents sustained after an explosive system detonated, the U.N. mission to Mali stated in an announcement.
Since the start of the yr, a number of hundred civilians have died in assaults in central and northern Mali. The assaults have been attributed to jihadist rebels in addition to the Malian Army.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali started in 2013, after France led a navy intervention to oust extremist rebels who had taken over cities and main cities in northern Mali the yr earlier than.
The mission now has roughly 12,000 troops in Mali and an extra 2,000 police and different officers. More than 270 peacekeepers have died in Mali, making it the U.N.’s deadliest peacekeeping mission, officers say.
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