Mali camp attacks killed over 40 civilians, sources say

More than 40 civilians were killed in weekend attacks by armed men on camps in Mali's northeastern Menaka region, security and community sources told AFP on Monday.

The assailants reportedly arrived on motorcycles and targeted camps mainly housing members of the Daoussahak community. The targeted camps were about 50 kilometers from the town of Menaka, in or around the village of Tinabow and the Tagadayat area.

Death tolls differed among the sources. A security source based in Gao said there were about 40 deaths, mostly men. Another security source said 50 civilians were killed, including young people and elderly people. A local elected official said more than 50 people were dead, including women and elderly people.

The Daoussahak community executive bureau said 48 civilians were killed Sunday in Tagadayat. It condemned what it called a massacre and appealed for emergency humanitarian aid for displaced people.

A local source in Tinabow told AFP that several dozen motorcycles arrived Sunday evening and the attackers began shooting and setting homes on fire. The source said they did not speak to anyone and “just started killing.”

The Daoussahak bureau blamed the killings on the Islamic State group. A security source said the attack was retaliation for recent military operations in the area and for attacks by the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, an armed group aligned with the ruling government in Bamako.

The Malian army said it had conducted operations in the same area on Saturday, about 65 kilometers southwest of Menaka, and struck what it described as a major base housing terrorist elements and military equipment.

Mali has faced a security crisis since 2012 involving the army and its Russian allies, jihadist fighters, Tuareg separatist groups and criminal gangs.