Several hundred people gathered in Bamako, Mali's capital, to show support for the ruling junta, as a new wave of attacks by jihadist fighters hits the center of the country.
Friday's deadly attacks were claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM). Last month, this group, in collaboration with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), carried out an unprecedented offensive against the military regime. "We want to go to the battlefields. Let them find a way to send us alongside the soldiers on the ground", a traditional dozo hunter told AFP.
A new wave of attacks by jihadist fighters in central Mali has left dozens dead, local sources and security officials said Saturday.
The JNIM had already killed at least 30 people during attacks perpetrated on Wednesday against villages.
A local official said the latest attacks by armed groups had claimed more than 70 lives in recent days.
Another local official estimated the death toll at 80.
"We are heartbroken", a local youth official said, accusing nearby army detachments of doing nothing to help, despite multiple calls.
A security source called the situation in the region "worrying". "The JNIM targets villages which have refused to sign local agreements", added this source.
These latest attacks follow the unprecedented offensive carried out last month by the JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) against Mali's ruling junta.
Since then, the security situation in Mali has become critical, with several northern regions now controlled by armed groups.
