Terror In Mali: The Terror Resurgents and a Military Massacre

Still from a Video of the Attack Aftermath [Source: Africa News]

A resurgence of terror has occurred in the African nation of Mali amid a UN investigation into the unlawful killing of civilians. On 23rd April, eighty-eight Jihadists launched bombing attacks on Mali's Savare Airport. Around five in the morning, bombs exploded, destroying multiple buildings and resulting in thirteen deaths. The area is not only an airport but also contains buildings belonging to the nearby military base. In addition to the thirteen deceased, three of whom were soldiers, sixty-one people were injured. In an interview (Africa News, 2023), one resident of Savare recounted the day of the attack, "We heard noises after the prayer, around 5:30 am, 5:40 am [...] Some people thought that a building had collapsed but came to ask us for help at the station. We went to the camp to inform the commander. We also alerted the civil protection. Around 6:00 am, the authorities arrived, and together we extracted the injured and dead. It was really difficult." No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks, but many believe that this large-scale attack is a sign that terror will return to the nation.

Since 2020, the Malian Government began to distance itself from the West and turned to Russia's Wagner Group to aid in counter-terror operations. Mali's Junta Government is under close scrutiny due to an ongoing human rights investigation. In operations against terrorists last year, it was alleged that the Malian Army, along with unidentified Western fighters, killed five hundred unarmed villagers. The massacre being investigated is alleged to have occurred on 27th March of last year when Malian and Russian helicopters descended on the town of Moura. The villagers began to flee as the military forces opened fire. Around five hundred civilians were killed and thrown into ditches. Witnesses to this attack immediately spoke out, triggering the UN to launch a fact-finding mission to Mali, which was blocked multiple times. An internal investigation by Mali's Junta found that all those killed were confirmed terrorists. In a UN Report released on 12th May, a year after the massacre, it was found that the government had violated the Human Rights Act. A spokesman for Mali, Abdoulaye Maiga, claimed that the UN's decision was made to destabilise the Malian Government. He said, "No civilian from Moura lost their life during the military operation. Among the dead, there were only terrorist fighters, and all those arrested were handed over to the gendarmerie". (Inquirer, 2023) This UN report is the dawn of a difficult period in Mali. Not only will the report have huge ramifications on the international stage but also comes at a time when radical jihadism is growing rapidly.

Reference list

AfricaNews and Churm, P. (2023). Blasts in Mali kill and injure dozens amid resurgence of ‘terrorist incidents’. [online] Africanews. Available at: https://www.africanews.com/2023/04/23/blasts-in-mali-kill-and-injure-dozens-as-government-fears-resurgence-of-terrorist-incident/ [Accessed 14 May 2023].

Reuters (2023). Mali rejects UN report on alleged execution of 500 villagers by troops. [online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1769094/mali-rejects-un-report-on-alleged-execution-of-500-villagers-by-troops [Accessed 14 May 2023].

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