32 people were killed in a convoy escorted by Malian troops and Russian Wagner mercenaries in northern Mali on Saturday, according to officials in Dakar.
According to them, the attack took place on Friday between Gao and Ansongo in the north of the country.
Initial estimates put the death toll at 10 before rising to 32.
” We have more than 30 systems from the scene”, said a medical supply in Gao.
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” The jihadists ambushed a human convoy escorted by Malian troops and Wagner troops”, a local official told AFP, requesting privacy.
” Among the deceased are both residents and men.”
According to a physician resource, many of the victims and their injuries had been moved to Gao, the major city in northern Mali.
According to a travel business union cause,” terrorists ambushed the convoy’s bodyguard and opened fire on people at random, causing the largest number of victims.”
Another local official told AFP:” The Malian soldiers and Wagner ( mercenaries ) were in around 10 vehicles protecting a convoy of 22 minibuses with civilian passengers, six large buses and eight lorries”.
” At least five lorries were destroyed by Islamic State ( IS ) jihadists”.
IS has not yet accepted responsibility for the assault.
The reported strike has not been publicly commented upon by the Malian army.
A martial source claimed that” we control the situation on the ground between Ansongo and Gao.”
In recent months, many problems on the route between Ansongo and Gao have been brought on by jihadists or bandits.
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Another local standard claimed that the human victims were mostly foreigners visiting a silver mine in Intahaka, the main area of northern Mali, where there is a large amount of gold.
The state is one of Africa’s best platinum producers, though manufacturing has plunged lately.
Since 2012, Mali has experienced severe security issues because of violent extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and IS as well as regional criminal gangs.
In a raid on the Gao region in January, the Malian military announced that it had detained a top IS head and killed several” jihadist” soldiers.
Abou Hach, a “wanted criminal long known to the intelligence service,” was named as the think.
Since 2012, the impoverished west African nation has struggled to address the country’s safety issue and been stricken by a string of coups that have since been carried out in the region.
Its military rulers have rekindled diplomatic relations with the former French colonial government and are now politically and physically inclined toward Russia.
