MILITARY OPERATION IN SAHEL KILLS MORE THAN 200 FIGHTERS, MALIAN ARMY SAYS

Sun 03 April 2022:

In an escalation in bloodshed in the conflict-torn country, Mali’s army claims to have killed 203 militants in an operation in the heart of the Sahel state.

The army announced on Friday that a nine-day military operation began on March 23 in the Moura area of the Sahel, which it described as a “terrorist fiefdom.”

The news comes after dozens of people, including civilians, were killed in Moura, according to several social media accounts in Mali this week.

Soldiers killed 203 militants, captured 51 persons, and recovered substantial amounts of weaponry, according to a statement from the army.

AFP was unable to verify the army’s claimed death toll or the social media reports.

Poor access to Mali’s conflict areas and a relative lack of independent information sources means that figures provided by either the government or armed groups are difficult to confirm.

An impoverished nation of about 21 million people, Mali has struggled to contain a jihadist insurgency that emerged in 2012, before spreading to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Vast swathes of the country are myriad rebel groups and militias, and thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the conflict.

Mali’s under-equipped army has also often been accused of committing abuses during the conflict.

According to a report seen by AFP, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently warned the UN security council that Mali’s counter-terrorism efforts had “disastrous consequences for the civilian population”.

In its statement Friday, Mali’s army said it was guided by human rights and international law, and called for “restraint against defamatory speculations”.

The country has seen an apparent uptick in violence in recent weeks. The UN said on Friday that thousands of people fleeing fighting in Mali have arrived in Niger.

A day earlier, the UN peacekeeping mission, known as Minusma, said that security had “deteriorated considerably” in the border area with Burkina Faso and Niger.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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