Kani Bonzon massacre

Last updated
Kani Bonzon massacre
Part of Mali War
Location Kani Bonzon, Bankass Cercle, Mali
DateFebruary 23, 2023
Deaths20+
Injured4+
PerpetratorUnknown jihadists

On February 23, 2023, unknown jihadists attacked the village of Kani Bonzon in Bankass Cercle, Mopti Region, Mali, killing at least twenty people.

Contents

Background

Central Mali's Mopti Region has been a hotbed of violence between various jihadist groups and pro-government forces along ethnic lines since the early 2010s. [1] These tensions are mainly between nomadic Fulani herders and Dogon self-defense groups and hunters known as dozos. [1] Fulani groups are accused of supporting the jihadist Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and it's local branch, Katiba Macina. [1] This inter-communal conflict has seen attempts for ethnic cleansing against the Fulani by dozos, which provokes attacks on Dogon villages by Fulani self-defense groups and jihadists. [1]

Massacre

The massacre took place in Kani Bonzon, a village in Bankass Cercle. [2] One witness stated that the attack began with a small group of jihadists being spotted over a hill heading towards the town, which was followed by larger waves of jihadists. [3] The mayor of Bankass stated that unidentified armed men burst into the village and attacked the population using guns and explosives. [2] [4] The attackers burned granaries and homes, and looted cattle. [5] [6] [2] The attackers then began chasing survivors into the forests to kill them. [2] A nearby hospital reported twelve bodies and four injured in their clinic, which was corroborated by Malian officials. [7] [2] [4] Survivors stated at least twenty people, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed in the massacre. [4] The attackers also kidnapped three civilians and fled with them. [6]

The funerals took place on February 24. [3]

Aftermath

At least 1,600 people were displaced from Kani Bonzon and forced to settle in surrounding villages. [5] Following the massacre, residents and refugees in Bandiagara protested to demand more security in the area from the Malian government. [5] One protester begged for help from MINUSMA. [6] 930 students were also halted from continuing schooling due to the massacre. [5] By April 2023, many of these refugees were still in the surrounding villages and did not return to Kani Bonzon. [8]

Malian officials visited Kani Bonzon on February 28, the delegation being led by Minister of National Reconciliation Ismaël Wagué alongside Oumarou Diarra. Survivors of the attack told Wague and Diarra to build a security post in the town, which the Malian authorities stated would happen. [9]

A local politician attributed the attack to jihadists, but did not mention a specific group. [10] Jihadist groups attacked the village of Tabangolo near Kani Bonzon on February 25, two days after the attack. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mopti Region</span> Region of Mali

Mopti is the fifth administrative region of Mali, covering 79,017 km2. Its capital is the city of Mopti. During the 2012 Northern Mali conflict, the frontier between Southern Mali which is controlled by the central government and the rebel-held North ran through Mopti Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandiagara Escarpment</span> Escarpment in Dogon country of Mali

The Bandiagara Escarpment is a sandstone cliff in the Dogon country of Mali. It rises about 500 m (1,600 ft) above the lower sandy flats to the south, and has a length of approximately 150 km (90 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandiagara</span> Commune and town in Mopti Region, Mali

Bandiagara is a small town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of Mali. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl"—referring to the communal bowl meals are served in. Mainly on its Bandiagara Escarpment it has about 2,000 speakers of the vibrant Bangime language, an isolate used mainly as an anti-language; it has the highest point of the country.

<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.

Events in the year 2021 in Mali.

On 3 December 2021 unidentified gunmen attacked a bus in Mopti, Central Mali, firing at its occupants and setting it on fire, killing 31 civilians and injuring 17. Most of the passengers were women travelling from Songo-Doubacore to a market in Bandiagara.

<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.

Events in the year 2022 in Mali.

On October 13, 2022, an IED hit a civilian bus travelling along the Bandiagara-Goundaka highway in rural Mali, killing 10 civilians and injuring dozens more. The attack was alleged to be coordinated by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

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

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

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

On February 6, 2014, between thirty-one and thirty-five Imghad Tuareg civilians were massacred by Fulani militants that may have been connected to the jihadist outfit Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) in and around Tamkoutat, Ménaka Region, Mali.

On January 22, 2020, six Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush by unknown jihadists in Dioungani, Mopti Region, Mali.

Between October 6, 2020, and October 22, 2020, Fulani militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin's Katiba Macina laid siege to the town of Farabougou, Ségou Region, Mali. The fighting initially began as an intensification of ethnic conflict between Bambara and Fulani militias, and escalated when Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin surrounded the city. As JNIM tightened the siege on the city, residents faced famine and drought. Mediation committees composed of leaders and elders from nearby villages attempted to negotiate the lifting of the siege, but Malian forces liberated it on October 22. Jihadists still held a large presence near the town for weeks to come.

On July 1, 2020, Fulani militants attacked four Dogon villages in Mali's Bankass Cercle, killing at least thirty-three people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for Salvation in the Sahel</span>

The Alliance for Salvation in the Sahel is a Fulani political and military group formed in 2018 during the Mali War.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Central Mali: Putting a Stop to Ethnic Cleansing | Crisis Group". www.crisisgroup.org. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gunmen Kill at Least 12 Civilians in Central Mali Village". Voice of America. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  3. 1 2 "Bereaved families mourn relatives after attack in central Mali". Africanews. 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Mali - Attacks against civilians in the Mopti region (DG ECHO, DG ECHO partners, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 28 February 2023) - Mali | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Mali: l'ONU s'inquiète du sort des déplacés internes dans le centre du pays". RFI (in French). 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  6. 1 2 3 "13 civilians killed in jihadist attack in Mali: local sources". RFI. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  7. ↑ "Mali: Humanitarian situation report in Bandiagara, Douentza and Mopti regions Situation Report #1 - 30 March 2023 - Mali | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  8. ↑ "Centre du Mali : l'insécurité a poussé 1631 personnes à quitter Kani Bonzon, selon OCHA". Studio Tamani (in French). 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  9. ↑ "Kani-Bonzon: Soutien et compassion pour la population endeuillée". maliweb.net (in French). 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  10. ↑ "13 civilians killed in jihadist attack in Mali: local sources". France 24. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
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