The village of Minimakanda, in the circle of Bankass, in the Mopti region, was attacked twice on Monday and Tuesday by armed men. A deadly attack that feeds the cycle of violence where the area has been thrown for more than a month.
The village of Minimakanda was attacked twice in two days. According to many local sources, there are between four and eight dead. Most speak of seven deaths. Contacted by RFI, neither the army nor the Ministry of Defense provided information. And according to several testimonies, no soldier had gone to the scene before Wednesday morning.
All contacts – residents or local elected representatives – confirm the violence in these attacks. In addition to the murdered, part of the village was burned down and cattle were removed. About a hundred families have since taken refuge in neighboring towns.
No claim was made, but local sources unanimously point to the jihadist terrorist groups and Fulani self-defense milieus in the area. All contacted believe that this is retaliation after the atrocities committed in the village of Libbé, nearby, where about twenty villagers, all Fulani, had been killed and the village burned down at the end of last month.
The region in the middle of a cycle of violence
Local elected officials and human rights groups accused the Malian army, with the help of traditional Dogon hunters. What the army firmly denies.
The attack on Minimakanda and his Dogon sacrifice would therefore be a response to Libbés, with his Fulani sacrifice. The attack on Libbé himself took place after Sokouras, in the same area, more than a month ago. 11 Malian soldiers and 13 civilians were killed then. The support group for Islam and Muslims claimed several times, linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
For several weeks, the area has been hit by a new cycle of violence with attacks that respond and tensions between communities. Some are accused of complementing the jihadists, others the military. Conflicts linked to rattling cattle also drive up these tensions between societies, with a great risk: to provoke new tragedies. In any case, this is the concern of the residents.
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