BAMAKO, Mali: A community militia killed 32 civilians in an attack on a village in central Mali then returned shortly after Malian soldiers left and killed four more, the head of the West African nation’s largest ethnic Fulani association said late Sunday.
Mali’s government earlier in the day confirmed the first attack and said 16 people were killed, as the Fulani ethnic group faces growing pressure over accusations of links to Al-Qaeda extremists.
The death tolls differed because many bodies had been buried by the time Malian soldiers responded, Abdoul Aziz Diallo with the Tabital Pulaku association told The Associated Press.
The original attack occurred Saturday when militia members killed herders outside Koumaga before entering and “starting to fire on the villagers,” Diallo said.
As soon as Malian soldiers left the village Sunday afternoon militia members returned, killing a man and his three sons, Diallo said.
Koumaga village has the reputation of being the birthplace of a number of Al-Qaeda-linked extremists. Such fighters have been attacking security forces and a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali regularly since 2015.
The growing insecurity is a key concern ahead of the July 29 election in which President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is running again.
Concerns have risen over alleged abuses by Malian security forces during counterterror operations in Fulani-majority areas where extremists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group have carried out attacks and recruited locals as fighters.
Last week the United States expressed concern after Mali’s government acknowledged allegations by the Fulani association and others that soldiers had entered another village, Nantaka, separated out 25 Fulani men and killed them.
Mali’s government also confirmed the existence of three graves discovered by residents outside the village and said it would investigate.
The vast majority of civilians reported killed in counterterror operations have been Fulani, and human rights groups have warned that abuses risk pushing villagers into joining extremist groups.
Mali is part of a five-nation regional force launched a year ago to counter the growing extremist threat in the vast Sahel region. Reversing the worsening security situation “will be frustratingly, unsatisfyingly slow,” the US military’s special operations commander in Africa, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, told the AP earlier this year.
36 dead in militia attack on village in central Mali: Group
36 dead in militia attack on village in central Mali: Group
- The militia members first killed herders outside Koumaga before entering and “starting to fire on the villagers
- Security is a key concern ahead of the July 29 election in which President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is running again
Italian PM pledges to deepen cooperation with African states
- The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid
ADDIS ABABA: Italy pledged to deepen cooperation with African countries at its second Italy-Africa summit, the first held on African soil, to review projects launched in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure during Italy’s first phase of the Mattei Plan for Africa.
The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed dozens of African heads of state and governments in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reiterated that a successful partnership would depend on Italy’s “ability to draw from African wisdom” and ensure lessons are learned.
“We want to build things together,” she told African heads of state. “We want to be more consistent with the needs of the countries involved.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Italy had provided Africa with a gateway to Europe through these partnerships.
“This is a moment to move from dialogue to action,” he said.
“By combining Africa’s energetic and creative population with Europe’s experience, technology, and capital, we can build solutions that deliver prosperity to our continents and beyond.”
After the Italy-Africa summit concluded, African leaders remained in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Summit.
Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola said tangible results from such summits depend on preparations made by countries.
African governments often focus on “optics instead of actually making summits a meaningful engagement,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a list of demands, countries should “present the conclusions of an extended period of mapping the national needs” and engage in dialogue to determine how those needs can be met.
Since it was launched two years ago, the Mattei Plan has directly involved 14 African nations and has launched or advanced around 100 projects in crucial sectors, including energy and climate transition, agriculture and food security, physical and digital infrastructure, healthcare, water, culture and education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence, according to the Italian government.
