Gangafani and Yoro massacres

Last updated
Gangafani and Yoro massacres
Part of Mali War
Locationnear Gangafani and Yoro, Koro Cercle, Mali
DateJune 17, 2019
Deaths41
Victims Dogon civilians
Perpetrator Fulani militants

On June 17, 2019, ethnic Fulani militiamen attacked Dogon civilians in the villages of Gangafani and Yoro, in Koro Cercle, Mali, killing 41 people.

Contents

Prelude

A week prior to the massacre, Fulani herdsmen killed over 35 Dogon civilians in the village of Sobane Da, also in Koro Cercle. In response, the Malian army arrested dozens of Fulani herdsmen in the area, accusing them of perpetrating the massacre. [1] A survivor of the Gangafani and Yoro massacre stated that the assailants told him that the massacre was retaliation for residents of the villages giving information about the Sobane Da perpetrators to the Malian and Burkinabe armies. [1]

Massacre

The massacre began on the evening of June 17, when around a hundred armed men on motorbikes attacked the villages. [2] A survivor of the attack, Abdoulaye Goro, stated in an interview that around 40 Fulani militants intercepted his vehicle while he was on his way to his father's funeral. The militants forced everyone out of the cars, and brought them through the bush to a location with around 100 other people. The militants were only looking for people from Yoro and Gangafani. Those that were brought aside and shot. Goro, having not been from the villages, was released afterward. [3]

The Malian army sent out several patrol groups in the days following the massacre, with one being ambushed on June 18 near Banguimalam. [4]

Aftermath

Goundjou Poudiougou, the municipal chancellor in Dinangourou, Koro Cercle, stated that the perpetrators were likely jihadists because they burned and gutted bodies while shouting "Allahu akbar", the modus operandi of several jihadist groups. Adama Dionko, the chairman of the Collective Association of Dogon People, corroborated Poudiougou's claims, stating that the perpetrators of the Gangafani and Yoro massacre were the same ones who perpetrated the Sobane Da massacre. [5] An internal UN document later assessed the massacre was perpetrated by Fulani militants. [1]

On June 18, the Malian prosecutor for war crimes gave a provisional death toll of 14 dead. [6] That same day, an anonymous military source and local officials told AFP 40 people were killed. [6] The mayor of Yoro, Issiaka Ganame, stated that 41 people were killed, including 17 from Gangafani and 24 in Yoro. Abdoulaye Goro corroborated Ganame's claims, stating he saw around twenty dead bodies in Yoro and 17 in Gangafani, also claiming that the perpetrators returned to Gangafani to kill a survivor who had tipped off Malian authorities. [3]

The Malian government gave a toll of 38 killed, and later the UN gave a toll of 41 killed and 750 refugees. [1]

Further reading

"Ils ont vérifié les identités puis tiré": le témoignage d'un rescapé de la dernière tuerie au Mali - Slate Afrique

Related Research Articles

Yoro is a village and commune and seat of the Cercle of Koro in the Mopti Region of Mali. In 1998 the commune had a population of 10,535. The village and Gangafani were attacked by suspected Fulani gunmen, who killed 41 people according to a MINUSMA count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amadou Koufa</span>

Amadou Koufa, nom de guerre of Amadou Diallo, also spelled Hamadoun Kouffa or Amadou Kouffa is a Malian Fulani jihadist and preacher who founded Katiba Macina, later part of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogossagou massacre</span> Attacks against Fulani herders in central Mali

On March 23, 2019, several attacks by gunmen killed a reported 160 Fulani herders in central Mali. The violence came in the aftermath of the Malian government cracking down on Islamic terror cells in the country. Two villages, Ogossagou and Welingara, were particularly affected.

On 10 June 2019, the Dogon village of Sobane Da in Mali was attacked. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of neighbouring Bankass, blamed a Fulani militia group. The attack killed 35 people, revised from an earlier claim of 95 killed with 19 missing. A survivor said the attackers numbered about 50, driving motorbikes and pickup trucks. The government of Mali has suspected that terrorists have committed the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

On 18 and 19 June 2022, 132 civilians were killed by Islamist insurgents in Bankass Cercle, Mopti Region, Mali.

The Mondoro attack took place on 4 March 2022, when al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked a Malian military base, causing heavy casualties.

On the night between March 1 and 2nd, 2022, Malian forces with the aid of Wagner Group killed over three dozen civilians in Danguèrè Wotoro, near Dogofry, Mali.

The battle of Farimake took place between November 22 and 23, 2018, between French forces of Operation Barkhane and Katibat Macina, a regional variant of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. French forces launched an assault on Katiba Macina, claiming to have killed their leader Amadou Koufa.

On January 15, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked two villages in Ménaka, Mali, killing at least 40 people. The massacres were targeted against Tuaregs.

The Koulogon massacre took place on January 1, 2019, in a Fulani village near the town of Koulogon Habbé, Bankass Cercle, Mali.

The Ménaka offensive was a series of offensives launched by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara against the Malian Army, Tuareg self-defense groups including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA), and the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The offensives took place in the Ménaka Cercle, in southeastern Mali.

On April 21, 2019, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a Malian military base at Guiré, Mali, as revenge for the Ogossagou massacre.

On December 11 and 12, 2018, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara fighters attacked Daoussahak Tuareg refugee camps in the villages of Tinabaw, Tabangout and Tissalatatene, all in the Ménaka Cercle of Mali. Between 43 and 47 civilians were killed by ISGS.

On April 26 and 27, 2018, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked two refugee camps near Andéramboukane, Ménaka, Mali, killing forty-seven people, mostly Tuareg civilians.

On March 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Boulikessi. The attack was the first by JNIM since its inception that month.

On January 15, 2016, unknown militants ambushed Malian forces near Wanna, in Goundam Cercle, Mali.

On October 28, 2015, a battle broke out in Tiébanda, Mali, between Katiba Macina militants and Malian forces.

On August 7, 2015, jihadists from Al-Mourabitoun and Katiba Macina attacked the Byblos Hotel in Sévaré, Mali. The attack was one of the largest attacks against civilians in Mopti Region during the Mali War, and led to the deaths of thirteen people, including five civilians.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Attaque au Mali: 41 morts selon l'ONU, renforts de l'armée". L'Express (in French). 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  2. ↑ "Des dizaines de morts dans de nouvelles attaques dans le centre du Mali". France 24 (in French). 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  3. 1 2 ""Ils ont vérifié les identités puis tiré": le témoignage d'un rescapé de la dernière tuerie au Mali". Slate Afrique (in French). 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  4. ↑ "Mali: au moins 38 morts dans des attaques de villages". RFI (in French). 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  5. ↑ "Au Mali, des villages dogons de nouveau cibles d'attaques meurtrières". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  6. 1 2 "Mali: une vingtaine, voire une quarantaine de morts dans l'attaque de villages". L'Obs (in French). 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.