Voice of America
25 Nov 2022, 01:35 GMT+10
BAMAKO, Mali - An attack by suspected Islamic extremists on a camp outside Gao sheltering individuals who had fled violence in northern Mali has left 11 people dead, officials said Thursday.
The assailants also destroyed the camp's food stocks and stole all the livestock, former Gao Mayor Sadou Diallo said.
The U.N. confirmed Monday's attack in a statement, although authorities in the Gao region have not yet reported it.
'These [internally displaced people] fleeing insecurity are doubly affected by the violence of this attack, further exacerbating their vulnerability,' said U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Alain Noudehou.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of militants linked to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara group, which targets civilians in the Gao and Menaka region.
The attack near Gao came amid growing fears about extremist violence in Mali following the departure of French forces earlier this year after nine years of helping fight militants in the West African country. France's departure came amid deteriorating relations with Colonel Assimi Goita, who seized power in Mali two years ago.
Goita has become increasingly isolated from Mali's onetime international partners. The U.K. recently announced it would be withdrawing its 300 peacekeepers from Mali, saying the country's growing reliance on Russian mercenaries was undermining stability.
Get a daily dose of Scotland Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Scotland Star.
More InformationMILAN, Italy: Italian regulators have flagged four non-EU countries—including Russia—as carrying systemic financial risk for domestic...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
ROME, Italy: Quick thinking by emergency responders helped prevent greater devastation after a gas station explosion in southeastern...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
MOSCOW, Russia: This week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since...
CAIRO, Egypt: This week, both Hamas and Israel shared their views ahead of expected peace talks about a new U.S.-backed ceasefire plan....
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...