A wave of violence swept through central Mali’s Mopti region on Friday, leaving over 20 civilians dead.
Local sources reported that suspected gunmen carried out the attacks across six villages in the Bandiagara area.
The assaults unfolded throughout the day and into the evening, with attackers ransacking homes and setting villages ablaze.
Witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the devastation as total, with no survivors left in some areas.
According to one source, the assailants arrived in large numbers on motorcycles, methodically targeting a first village before moving on to the others.
They reportedly spared nothing and no one in their path.
The ruling military junta has yet to issue a statement regarding the attacks.
The silence has amplified growing fears in a nation already grappling with escalating insecurity.
Mali has faced relentless violence from armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State since 2012, following a Tuareg rebellion in the country’s northern regions.
The conflict has since metastasized, spreading across the Sahel and displacing millions.
As the Mopti region mourns its dead, the attacks serve as a grim reminder of the fragile security in Mali and its neighboring countries. For many, the hope for peace feels like a distant mirage.
