Armed fighters kill at least 30 people in attacks in central Mali

"Several sources tell Reuters and AFP that the al-Qaeda-affiliated assailants hit two villages in Mopti region on Wednesday. Dozens of people have been killed in attacks reportedly carried out by al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters in central Mali, the deadliest assault since armed groups launched a widespread coordinated assault late last month. According to local, security and administrative sources speaking to the AFP news agency on Thursday, attacks on the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou in the Mopti region killed at least 30 people a day earlier."

"Three sources including an aid worker, a diplomat and a security source separately told the news agency Reuters that the assailants had hit two unnamed localities in Mopti, killing at least 50 on Wednesday. The latest attacks come a day after armed fighters stormed the Kenieroba Central Prison, a recently built complex about 60km (37 miles) southwest of Bamako, which houses 2,500 prisoners, including at least 72 inmates considered high value by the Malian state."

"Mali was shaken by a wave of attacks since April 25 and 26, when the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) joined forces with the Tuareg-dominated rebel group Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). On top of the resurgence in violence and the blockade, civilians are caught at the height of the dry season, said Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque. It hasn't rained in months, and there has been conflict over water resources, specifically in the centre of Mali between Fulani villagers and Dogon militia group supported by Malian forces so this is a flashpoint, he said."

"The April attacks showed how fighters from different groups with different goals could strike at the heart of the West African country's military government. During a news conference in Bamako on Wednesday, Malian army commander Djibrilla Maiga said fighters were attempting to reorganise after the April attacks, which killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and drove"

Al-Qaeda-affiliated assailants attacked two villages in Mali’s Mopti region on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people in Korikori and Gomossogou, according to local, security, and administrative sources. Reuters sources including an aid worker, a diplomat, and a security source reported attacks on two unnamed localities in Mopti that killed at least 50 people. The attacks followed a prison assault on Kenieroba Central Prison near Bamako, which held 2,500 prisoners including at least 72 high-value inmates. Violence surged after April 25 and 26 when JNIM joined forces with the Tuareg-dominated FLA. Dry-season conditions and conflict over water between Fulani villagers and Dogon militia contributed to heightened civilian vulnerability.

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