Karou and Ouatagouna massacres | |
---|---|
Part of Mali War | |
Location | Karou, Ouattagouna, Daoutegeft, and Dirga, Mali |
Date | August 8, 2021 |
Deaths | 51+ [1] |
Perpetrator | Islamic State in the Greater Sahara |
On August 8, 2021, jihadist militants from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) launched simultaneous attacks on four villages in central Mali, killing over fifty-one civilians.
Around 6pm local time, over 80 ISGS militants stormed the four towns of Karou, Ouattagouna, Daouetegeft, and Dirga, all within a short distance of each other. [2] [3] The militants attacked on motorbikes, "as most victims were in front of their houses; others going to the mosque" according to local official Oumar Cisse. [4] According to eyewitnesses, ISGS went from house to house, rounding up all of the men and children, only sparing some women. [3] Military officials stated that ISGS fighters massacred everyone, burning down homes and stealing cattle. [5] [2] Many of the dead were women and children. [6]
Malian military officials stated the attack was prompted because locals in the town had shared the locations of ISGS to the Malian military following recent humanitarian aid deliveries. [6]
The provisional death toll, according to local officials, was 51 killed. [5] Twenty civilians were killed in Karou, fourteen in Ouattagouna, and an unknown amount in Daoutegeft and Dirga. [5] A representative of local Songhai human rights group Songhoy Chaawara Batoo claimed that the attack occurred within eighteen kilometers of a Malian military base. [7] Malian officials claimed that after the attacks, they established a heavy security presence in the area. [6] The UN also launched its own investigation into the massacre in late 2021. [3]
Karou and Ouatagouna massacres | |
---|---|
Part of Mali War | |
Location | Karou, Ouattagouna, Daoutegeft, and Dirga, Mali |
Date | August 8, 2021 |
Deaths | 51+ [1] |
Perpetrator | Islamic State in the Greater Sahara |
On August 8, 2021, jihadist militants from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) launched simultaneous attacks on four villages in central Mali, killing over fifty-one civilians.
Around 6pm local time, over 80 ISGS militants stormed the four towns of Karou, Ouattagouna, Daouetegeft, and Dirga, all within a short distance of each other. [2] [3] The militants attacked on motorbikes, "as most victims were in front of their houses; others going to the mosque" according to local official Oumar Cisse. [4] According to eyewitnesses, ISGS went from house to house, rounding up all of the men and children, only sparing some women. [3] Military officials stated that ISGS fighters massacred everyone, burning down homes and stealing cattle. [5] [2] Many of the dead were women and children. [6]
Malian military officials stated the attack was prompted because locals in the town had shared the locations of ISGS to the Malian military following recent humanitarian aid deliveries. [6]
The provisional death toll, according to local officials, was 51 killed. [5] Twenty civilians were killed in Karou, fourteen in Ouattagouna, and an unknown amount in Daoutegeft and Dirga. [5] A representative of local Songhai human rights group Songhoy Chaawara Batoo claimed that the attack occurred within eighteen kilometers of a Malian military base. [7] Malian officials claimed that after the attacks, they established a heavy security presence in the area. [6] The UN also launched its own investigation into the massacre in late 2021. [3]