VIOLENCE – The toll could rise, with nine soldiers missing
New bloody attack in Mali. At least 17 soldiers and 4 civilians were killed on Sunday, 9 other soldiers are missing, after an attack attributed to jihadists in the town of Tessit located in the so-called three-border area between Mali, Burkina and Niger. The results are “always provisional and likely to change”, according to a press release from the Malian army released on Monday, which says it killed seven enemies “probably from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and benefiting from drone and artillery support with use of explosives and vehicle bombs”.
The Malian staff also reports 22 wounded in the army, significant material losses including three destroyed vehicles and damage to other vehicles, Fama installations and civilian homes. Some civilians killed are local elected officials, relatives of the victims told AFP on condition of anonymity. On the “enemy” side, in addition to the seven killed, the army evokes “an unknown number of dead and wounded carried away by the attackers”. A previous assessment of the army gave 4 soldiers and 2 civilians killed, as well as 5 dead “enemy side”.
Strategic area
The sector of Tessit, located on the Malian side of the three-border zone, in a huge rural bush region not controlled by the state, is frequently the scene of clashes and attacks.