At least a dozen civilians were killed in central Mali on Thursday when the bus carrying them exploded with an explosive device, a police official and a representative of a local association said. The police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported 10 dead and many seriously injured. He clarified that it was a provisional assessment.
“We have just transferred nine bodies to the reference health center. And it is not over,” said Moussa Housseyni, of the Bandiagara youth association. The disappeared are all civilians, he said.
The explosion occurred in the early afternoon on the road between Bandiagara and Goundaka, in the Mopti sector, according to a security source.
Many attacks in 2022
Mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the weapons of choice for jihadists. They explode on contact with a wheel or are actuated remotely.
A report by the UN Mission in Mali as of August 31 counted 245 improvised explosive device and mine attacks in 2021 and 134 in 2022. Mines and improvised explosive devices claimed 103 lives in 2021 and 72 in 2022, according to the report. They mainly affect the Malian army and the Minusma. But a quarter of the victims are civilians, according to the report.
Source: BFM TV
