According to Reuters report dated October 20 local time, armed elements affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) carried out a retaliatory attack in the Menaka region of eastern Mali, resulting in at least 48 deaths. Two sources from security forces and two local officials said that the attack is suspected to be retaliation for previous attacks by pro-government armed groups against intelligence providers. The operation involved members of Russia’s African Legion.
The four sources mentioned above said that last week, pro-government militias such as the Azawad Salvation Movement (MSA) and the Russian African Legion were suspected of committing crimes against civilians who were believed to have provided intelligence to ISIS. These crimes included the killing of about a dozen people, the burning of houses, and the theft of property. On October 18th, armed men from the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) launched attacks in at least five locations in Menaka, burning houses and stealing livestock. This led to hundreds of civilians fleeing into Menaka town. Some civilians died in fires, while others were killed by gunfire. The number of deaths caused by these attacks is still being counted. Preliminary figures provided by the sources range from 48 to over 70 people.
ISSP has not claimed responsibility for this attack. Neither the Malian military spokesman nor the Russian Embassy in Mali responded to requests from Reuters for comment. Malians had previously denied killing civilians in operations against rebel forces.
Meanwhile, armed conflicts continue in Mali. Since 2012, Tuareg separatists and armed elements associated with al-Qaeda have seized northern Mali, and the country has been fighting against rebel forces. In April of this year, al-Qaeda’s branch in the region, the Joint Forces for Islamic and Muslim Affairs (JNIM), along with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) led by Tuaregs, launched attacks across Mali, resulting in the death of the country's defense minister and attacks on the main airport in the capital, Bamako.
In recent weeks, the conflict between JNIM and ISSP has become increasingly intense. Last week, ISSP claimed that they killed 400 armed members of JNIM after foiling an ambush attempt in neighboring Burkina Faso. If this claim is confirmed, it would be the deadliest battle between the two organizations. Data from the conflict monitoring organization “Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project” (ACLED) shows that both sides have engaged in hundreds of battles since the first minor conflict in 2019, resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 people.
