Jihadists blamed for Mali attack, 48 dead: sources

Suspected jihadists were behind weekend attacks on camps in northeastern Mali, which killed at least 48 civilians and caused others to flee for their lives, sources told AFP Tuesday.

The attacks hit the restive west African country's Menaka region, where gunmen reportedly rode in on motorcycles and opened fire on camps mainly housing members of the Daoussahak community.

The Daoussahak community is where the armed Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) originated, a group aligned with Mali's ruling junta, according to security and community sources.

The death toll from Sunday's attacks, which on Monday stood at more than 40 civilians, has now risen to at least 48 civilians killed, sources said.

Another 11 people are missing, a local official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The jihadists threatened to return. There is reason to fear displacement of the population," the source said.

Multiple local sources blamed the attack on the Islamic State group's Sahel branch.

The targeted camps lie about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the town of Menaka, in or around the village of Tinabow and the Tagadayat area.

A security source based in the city of Gao told AFP the massacre occurred "in retaliation for military operations carried out in the area recently and for attacks by the MSA".

Mali has been plagued since 2012 by a security crisis pitting the army and its Russian allies against jihadist fighters, Tuareg separatist groups and criminal gangs.

Economic instability has fuelled the crisis.

Since the army took power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, the ruling junta has turned to Russia for support, enlisting the services of paramilitaries from the Wagner Group, which became the Africa Corps in 2025.

Mali's army said it had carried out strikes on Saturday southwest of Menaka targeting "a major base harbouring terrorist elements and materiel".

The Sahel region has also been hit by recent fighting between Al-Qaeda and IS group factions in the borderlands spanning Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

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