The Support Group Islam and to the Muslims (JNIM, by its acronym in Arabic), loyal to Al Qaedahe claimed this Friday having killed seven mercenaries of the Russian Wagner group in an attack carried out this Thursday between the Malian cities of Bandiagara and Bankass, in the Mopti region.
According to two messages published on his communication network Az-Zallaqathe terrorist group claims that ambushed a convoy in which members of this group of mercenaries were traveling and he claims to have killed seven of them. The messages are accompanied by unverified photographs of the deceased, with light skin.
Civilian sources and local self-defense groups reported that the attack It happened in the town of Djiguibombo -20 kilometers south of Bandiagara- around 3:00 p.m. local time (GMT) and that not only Wagner’s mercenaries died, but also also hunters of the Donzo ethnic group who were part of self-defense groups.
In Djiguibombo, sources indicated, Russian mercenaries were in charge of securing the road to Bankass. Last July, at least 20 people died in that same town in central Mali, attributed to the jihadist group related to Al Qaeda Katiba Macina (known as the Macina Liberation Front).
This country in the unstable Sahel region, governed by a coup military junta since 2020, is the scene of continuous terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamic State (IS) and the local affiliate of Al Qaeda. The Malian Army has Wagner mercenaries for the training of their military and to fight on the ground against terrorist groups.
According to Al Qaeda, 50 Wagner members died, a number that the CSP secessionists increased to 84. For his part, Wagner acknowledged having suffered casualties – without specifying the number – including the death of one of his commanders. In recent months, imprecise and indiscriminate reactions from the Malian Army supported by Wagner have also provoked massacres among civilians denounced by institutions such as UNsometimes in the form of drone attacks.
Depending on the platform Armed Conflict Location And Event Data Project (Acled), which monitors violence in the world, between October 2023 and the same month of 2024 4,548 people died in Mali in violent acts carried out by non-state actors and another 2,743 at the hands of state forces.
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