Mali: dozens killed in twin attacks on passenger boat and army base

Three days of mourning have been declared in Mali following attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in the northern part of the country on Thursday (7 September) by suspected jihadists, in which at least 64 people were reportedly killed.

The two separate attacks targeted the Timbuktu boat on the Niger river and an army position in the northern Gao region with “a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed”, according to a government statement, noting that about 50 assailants were also killed in the attack. “At least three rockets” had targeted the vessel that had been traveling on an established route between cities along the Niger River, aiming at its engines, the state-owned Malian operator Comanav said in a statement. When the vessel became stranded on the river, army officials led an evacuation effort to help passengers to shore, a COMANAV official told the AFP news agency, the Comanav added.

The Malian army said that the attacks were carried out by “armed terrorist groups”. Later a group affiliated with al-Qaeda reportedly claimed credit for both attacks. This comes after an al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), announced in mid August that it has organized a blockade of Timbuktu, the historic crossroads city of northern Mali. The Sahel region has seen an escalation in violence over the last decade, including from rival groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group. Part of the Sahel, Mali, an impoverished nation of 21 million of people, has been struggling with insecurity since 2012, when a revolt led by ethnic Tuaregs erupted in the troubled north.