Airstrikes in Mali kill at least 10 people at a wedding | Articles of Controversy

Mali’s military has been protesting amid a security crisis following attacks last month by al-Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists.

Malian soldiers have killed 10 people as they planned to celebrate a wedding in the central region of San, as the conflict has escalated since the armed forces started fighting. a common attack at the end of last month.

The attacks took place on Sunday amid a security crisis after last month’s attack on the military government by Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatist group known as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

A resident of the Tene community, where the attack took place, told AFP reporters that “ten of our children” had been killed. “What was supposed to be a moment of joy in the village turned into great sadness,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The tragedy happened when the villagers were preparing for the second edition of this traditional wedding, which is a major cultural event in this village,” a security official who asked not to be named for security reasons told AFP.

The strike involved “a group of motorcyclists following each other”, he added. “That’s what attracted the attention of drones.”

A local official also confirmed to AFP that around 10 people had been killed. “A wedding was about to take place when drones killed at least 10 people. This is a sad time,” he told AFP.

Mali has been in deep trouble since JNIM joined forces with the FLA in April. A a terrible disappointment on April 25 and 26 they targeted smart cities and killed the country’s defense minister.

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who reported from Mali, said that, according to the military, “the fighters are fighting with weapons”, adding that “there is unprecedented fear” in the army.

Alex Vines, the director for Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that the Malian authorities seem to have taken a liking to the recent violence.

Kidal and other towns and villages in the north were captured and are now under the control of the FLA and JNIM, who closed the capital Bamako.

Another attack by terrorists linked to al-Qaeda was also report on May 7, killing at least 30 people in central Mali. The villages of Korikori and Gomossogou in Mopti region were the ones that were planned.

Mali, rich in gold and other precious minerals, has been struggling with insurgency since 2012. It has been facing a major security crisis led by the FLA, JNIM and the Africa Corps, a Russian-backed army that replaced the Wagner Group.

Hake he said Al Jazeera heard from witnesses that Russian troops “are fighting in Bamako, around the airport, where they have their headquarters”.

The former colonial ruler of Mali, France, and the United Nations have sent soldiers and peacekeepers to the country to try to combat the violence of armed groups, but Bamako. to be expelled Their military after military coups in 2020 and 2021 and are now using Russian fighters instead.