Militia attack on Mali village leaves 115 dead, say early reports
Last edited Sat Mar 23, 2019, 05:01 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: The Guardian
Militia fighters descended on a village in central Mali before dawn on Saturday, killing at least 115 people in the latest deadly attack blamed on an ethnic militia, local authorities said.
The massacre in the village of Ogossogou left the village chief and his grandchildren dead in the ethnic Peulh community, according to a local official who had received detailed accounts from the remote area.
The victims included pregnant women, young children and the elderly according to Abdoul Aziz Diallo, president of a Peulh group known as Tabital Pulaaku.
It was not immediately possible to independently corroborate the death toll given by those in contact with survivors from the Peulh village. The UN mission in Mali confirmed reports of an attack but gave no figures.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/23/militia-attack-mali-village-at-least-115-dead
Gunmen surrounded the village before attacking people in their homes in Ogossagou in the country's Mopti region, a local official said.
The attack on Saturday targeted members of the Fulani ethnic community.
Ambassadors for the UN are currently in Mali addressing the increasing levels of ethnic and jihadist violence.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47680836
Edited to include more informative reports from the Guardian. Truly horrific attack reflecting ethnic and sectarian conflict.
Igel
(35,268 posts)It's complicated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massina_Empire. That's a hook into the background of this particular situation.
Note the data of the end of that particular outcome of one of the Fulani jihads. The present is very much a continuation of the past, just as racial attitudes in the US are very much the result of the past.
Understanding the present in that area without seeing the past is like looking at a snapshot of modern America and wondering what all the fuss is about when it comes to affirmative action, protected status, reparations.
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)The violence is rooted in history for sure. Always good to reference history for additional explanation of the current events.
Thank you for that reminder.
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)Many of these stories arent getting much coverage
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)With the sheer majority being perpetrated by Islamist terrorist groups in conflict zones. Unfortunately these stories seem to quickly disappear from the news cycle, with minimal follow up as well. Almost understandable considering the sheer number of massacres and terrorist incidents occurring around the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_March_2019
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)But one whackjob in New Zealand gets weeks worth of coverage.
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)inwiththenew
(972 posts)Events like this are met with a resounding "Meh" on the international stage.
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)But let it be the reverse and 300 posts.