Malian army finds 54 bodies near Ménaka
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beninwebtv
Mali’s General Staff says it found 54 bodies at a settlement in Tagadayat, 35 kilometres south-east of Ménaka, after an attack on civilians. Nine survivors were taken to Ménaka and accounts implicate the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, according to Beninwebtv.
Mali’s army announced that it had found 54 bodies at a settlement in Tagadayat, about 35 kilometres south-east of Ménaka, following a reported attack on civilians. A patrol of the Malian Armed Forces and their partners was sent to the site, according to the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces.
Nine survivors were found and taken to Ménaka for treatment. The bodies were buried at the site. According to initial accounts gathered by the army, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara is suspected of involvement in the killings.
The Idaksahak community had reported that at least 48 civilians were killed in an attack on Tagadayat on 18 October. In its statement on 19 October, it also reported that families had been displaced to Ménaka and called for emergency humanitarian assistance.
The Malian army says it has stepped up protection for threatened populations and facilitated the transfer of residents from some settlements to Ménaka. It says patrols are continuing in the area, following the report that at least 48 civilians were killed in Tagadayat, published on 19 October.
