Twelve civilians, including two women and a child, as well as 11 Mali soldiers were killed in a series of attacks today in central Mali, the deadliest death toll in the country since the August 18 coup.
The attacks came days after the release of four hostages - an opposition leader, Sumaila Cisse, France's Sophie Petronen and two Italians - against about 200 detainees demanded by jihadist groups, an exchange that did not bring .
Near the border with Burkina Faso, a military post in Sokura, in the Bankas Circle, was "attacked by unknown gunmen" around 1:00 am, the Ministry of Defense announced, citing a provisional report of nine dead in the army ranks.
Aid sent to the site "in turn fell into an ambush at the level of the bridge at the site of Paroukou", according to the Ministry of Defense. He clarified that two soldiers were killed.
"On the enemy side, 13 terrorists were killed and two vehicles were destroyed by the air force," according to the Ministry of Defense.
Twelve civilians, people attending the weekly Bankas report, were killed in the same place under as yet unexplained circumstances.
According to a police source, these people "followed the reinforcements of the army", believing that they were protected, and then became the target of the perpetrators of the attack.
However, according to a state spokesman in the area, the vehicle transporting the citizens "was in the first place", in front of the military reinforcements, whose arrival "coincided" with the attack. "Fire exchanges followed," he said, asking not to be named.
In any case, 12 civilians were killed, including two women and a child, according to a police source and Umar Guido, a youth spokesman based in Bantiagara.
The army also spoke of "10 wounded" and missing during the attack on the aid. Neither the ministry nor the army report casualties on the part of the citizens.
"These reports are provisional," said the military, which suffered heavy casualties following the August 18 coup that ousted President Ibrahim Bubakar Keita.