At least 20 people were killed in attacks Friday on villages in central Mali that have been the target of jihadist groups, local officials and sources said Saturday.

“Six villages in the region of Bandiagara were attacked yesterday (Friday) by jihadists. Grain silos were burned, the local populations fled. There were also about 20 dead,” a local elected official who asked not to be named told AFP.

A Mali security official told AFP that five villages in Bandiagara were attacked. “We counted 21 dead and many injured,” the official added.

Bocary Guindo, a representative of a local youth association, said there had been at least 22 deaths in four villages and two other villages had been burned.

Mali since 2012 has faced attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, as well as by separatist movements and criminal gangs. Last weekend seven people were killed during attacks in the centre of the country.

In September, jihadists attacked a police academy and stormed the military airport in Bamako, the first attack in the Malian capital since 2016.

After taking power in coups in 2020 and 2021, the military broke its historic alliance with former colonial ruler France and turned towards Russia. The military leaders also expelled a UN stabilisation force.

The attacks have undermined the junta’s claims that its new foreign partnerships and increased military effort have turned the tide against the jihadists. Various rights groups have also cited abuses committed against civilians by the army and its Russian allies. (AFP)