IS-Linked Militants Kill at Least 48 in Retaliatory Attacks on Camps in Mali’s Menaka Region

Menaka, Mali — The Menaka attacks have killed at least 48 people in eastern Mali, where fighters from the regional Islamic State group struck at least five localities in the Menaka region over the weekend in what sources describe as apparent retaliation for abuses allegedly committed by pro-government forces. Provisional death tolls range from 48 to more than 70, making it one of the deadliest single episodes of violence in the Sahel this year.

What happened in the Menaka attacks

Motorcycle-borne gunmen attacked camps predominantly inhabited by members of the Daoussahak community on Sunday evening, according to security and community sources cited by AFP. The camps are located in and around the village of Tinabow and the Tagadayat area, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the town of Menaka in northeastern Mali.

A resident of Tinabow told AFP that dozens of motorcycles arrived on Sunday evening before the assailants began shooting and setting houses ablaze, killing people without warning and leaving numerous bodies at the scene. A local elected official estimated that more than 50 people, including women and elderly residents, had been killed, while the Daoussahak community’s executive bureau confirmed 48 civilian deaths in Tagadayat on Sunday.

Reuters, citing two security sources and two local officials, reported that the attacks were carried out by fighters from the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) across at least five localities in Menaka. The sources said some of the civilians died in the fires and others were shot, and that homes were torched and livestock stolen. ISSP has not claimed responsibility for the incident.

A cycle of retaliation

According to the four sources who spoke to Reuters, the Menaka attacks appeared to be in response to abuses allegedly carried out last week in the area by a pro-government militia known as the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) alongside members of Russia’s Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary group that backs the government in Bamako.

“The militiamen from MSA who accompanied the Malian army and Africa Corps committed abuses against civilians suspected of being informants for the Islamic State,” a municipal official in Menaka said, according to Reuters. The official said about a dozen people were killed, houses were set on fire, and other property was stolen.

A security source based in Gao told AFP the massacre occurred in retaliation for military operations carried out in the area recently and for attacks by the MSA. A Malian military spokesperson and Russia’s embassy in Bamako did not respond to requests for comment. Mali has previously denied killing civilians in counterinsurgency operations.

The Daoussahak community is the community from which the MSA originated, according to the sources, and the MSA is aligned with the ruling government in Bamako — placing the civilian camps between the two sides of an escalating conflict.

FAKTA: The Menaka attacks at a glance

• At least 48 civilians killed in weekend attacks across at least five localities in Mali’s eastern Menaka region; provisional tolls range from 48 to more than 70.
• Motorcycle-borne gunmen targeted camps of the Daoussahak community near Tinabow village and the Tagadayat area, about 50 km from Menaka town.
• The Daoussahak community’s executive bureau blamed the Islamic State group; Reuters’ sources attributed the attacks to the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP).
• The violence is described by sources as retaliation for alleged abuses by the pro-government MSA militia and Russia’s Africa Corps against suspected informants last week.
• Hundreds of civilians fled toward Menaka town; the community bureau called for urgent humanitarian assistance for the displaced.
• ISSP has not claimed responsibility; Malian authorities and the Russian embassy did not respond to comment requests.

Humanitarian fallout

Hundreds of civilians fled the violence toward Menaka town, with people arriving on Monday after the Sunday assaults, according to security sources. The Daoussahak community’s executive bureau condemned the killings and called for urgent humanitarian assistance for the displaced families.

The violence comes amid intensifying combat between the regional Islamic State group and al Qaeda affiliates, compounding insecurity in West Africa’s Sahel region. For more on the region’s security crisis, see our World coverage.