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Mali jihadists return to village where raid killed 20
NOUAKCHOTT, Jan 30, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Jihadists on Wednesday regained
control of a village in central Mali, locals said, returning to the site of a
recent attack that killed 20 members of the security forces.
The Malian army, which had retaken control of Soloko, had “fallen back” to
the neighbouring area of Diabaly and jihadists had returned to the village, a
local teacher told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Sunday attack on the Soloko camp claimed by the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam
wal-Muslimin (JNIM) — an umbrella group of Al-Qaeda affiliates — killed 20
Malian security forces and wounded five, according to authorities.
“The jihadists… have raised their flag in the gendarmes’ camp,” said
Hamed Drame, president of the Soloko youth association.
“There is a threat over the whole town. We have alerted the authorities but
until now there has been no reaction from them.”
Sokolo is the last town before the Mauritanian border, near a forest
considered a base for groups linked to Al-Qaeda.
Despite aid from French and UN forces, Mali is struggling to quell unrest
that began in 2012 in the north of the country before spreading to its
centre, as well as neighbouring Sahel states Burkina Faso and Niger.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1010 hrs