Dozens Of Soldiers, Civilians Killed In Central Mali Attack

AFP reports that an attack in central Mali by suspected jihadists this week has left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead.

A local politician, speaking on condition of anonymity for his own safety, told AFP that the attack on Farabougou left around sixty soldiers and civilians dead.

The army acknowledged yesterday that an attack had taken place, saying in a brief statement that it had delivered what it labelled “a vigorous response that repelled a terrorist attack targeting the Farabougou camp”.

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Since 2012, Mali has been battling an Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north of the vast West African state, claiming thousands of military and civilian lives.

Violence has subsequently swept the country while spilling over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, thus inflaming ethnic tensions along the way.