Suspected “jihadists” kidnap more than 110 people in Mali: report

Dakar, Senegal:

Suspected jihadists in central Mali are holding more than 110 civilians they abducted six days ago, local sources told AFP on Monday.

A local group of unions and an elected official said three buses carrying civilians were stopped on 16 April by “jihadists” who forced the vehicles and passengers to head towards a forest between Bandigara and Bankas.

“We demand the release of more than 110 passengers on three buses hijacked on Tuesday by jihadists,” Omar Ongoiba, a member of the group, told AFP.

An elected official from Bandigara, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, said: “Three buses, and more than 120 passengers, are still in the possession of the jihadists.”

Bandigara associations published a statement on Friday condemning “the continuation of terrorist attacks”, the “increasing number of displaced persons” in the cities and the “lack of action by the armed forces”.

A protest against insecurity in the city following jihadist attacks last August turned violent and left several people injured.

Since 2012, Mali has been ravaged by various factions linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as self-declared, self-defense forces and bandits.

The violence spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and military regimes seized power in all three countries.

Since ousting Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, the junta has undertaken a strategic realignment, breaking its long alliance with former colonial power France and fostering closer military and political ties with Russia.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formed their own Sahel alliance in November and all pledged to leave the regional bloc ECOWAS.

The deteriorating security situation in Mali is compounded by the humanitarian and political crisis.

The junta has faced domestic and international criticism after failing to meet commitments to hold presidential elections in February and then stepping down.

Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga said this month that elections would be held only after the security crisis had stabilized.

the opposition became silent

According to security sources and human rights reports, violence escalated in the center of Mali as the military campaign escalated in the last quarter of 2023.

Despite the operations, armed groups have continued their attacks in the center and south, coming closer to the outskirts of the capital Bamako.

In March, the army said troops had countered three “terrorist” attacks targeting a customs post about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Bamako and two army camps in the south.

AFP could not independently verify claims from either side, often from remote locations where access is rare. The Malian military rarely reports any operations except to claim victories.

The regime has effectively silenced the opposition, journalists, and human rights defenders, many of whom remain in prison or exile.

On March 31, less than a week after the junta handed power back to civilians, several political parties and civil society groups made a rare statement demanding elections “as soon as possible” and saying the country was “legal. Is in “position”. and institutional void”.

A few days later, all political activities were suspended pending the results of national negotiations initiated by junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita in December.

Media coverage of political parties was also banned in the West African nation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)