A joint military operation between the Malian and French militaries in northeastern Mali has resulted in the neutralizing of at least 20 Jihadists. The operation which included the elite French anti-Jihadist force Barkhane happed in Menaka in the locality of Akabar.
The killed terrorists belong to a jihadist group that calls itself the “Islamic State in the Great Sahara” (EIGS) is mainly active in this region of Ménaka and across the border with Niger.
Mali has become increasingly engulfed in violence since a Tuareg uprising in 2012 was hijacked by Islamist militants, prompting France to intervene deploying a 4500- strong contingent to fight the Islamists in the larger Sahel region.
Most recently, the jihadists have been using unorthodox tactics aimed at triggering ethnic violence. Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided the ethnic Dogon village of Sobane Da last Sunday and Monday, killing 35 people, according to the government, although a local authority maintains the real figure is 95 deaths. A bigger massacre by Dogon hunters in March left 150 dead.
