25 civilians killed in convoy ambush, according to Mali army

On February 7th, 25 civilian goldminers were killed in an ambush of a military-escorted convoy near Mali’s northeastern city of Gao. According to Reuters 13 others were injured in the attack.

The army’s death toll was lower than a local official’s description, saying that up to 56 bodies were recorded at the hospital in Gao, and that there are an unknown number of military casualties in addition to the 56.

The attack took place near the village of Kobe, a region where groups linked to Islamic State and Al Qaeda have been operational for more than a decade, destabilising both Mali and neighboring countries.

The army said that at around 19 of the attackers were killed as soldiers retaliated. The army did not mention sustaining any military casualties.

The insurgent groups began in Mali’s north after the Tuareg separatist rebellion of 2012. Since then, Islamist militants have spread to other countries in the central Sahel region. More recently, in January Mali accused Algeria of funding Tuareg military groups.

Violence has become so commonplace that Mali’s military is forced to undertake almost-daily escorts.

The violence in Mali has led to the deaths of thousands of people, displacing millions, and spurring a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in just the three years between 2020 and 2023.

Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Maghrebi