Armed groups have attacked a passenger boat and military camp in Mali, killing at least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers, according to the country’s armed forces. Approximately 50 assailants were also killed in the attack.
“On September 7, 2023, at around 11am [11:00 GMT], armed terrorist groups with fatal designs attacked a boat from COMANAV [a ferry operator] between Abakoira and Zorghoi, in the territory of Rarhous,” Mali’s military said in a statement on social media, referencing towns in the central part of the country, Al Jazeera reported.
The boat had been travelling on the Niger River. COMANAV said in a separate statement that “at least three rockets” had targeted the vessel, aiming at its engines.
When the vessel became stranded in the waterway, unable to move, army officials led an evacuation effort to help passengers to shore, a COMANAV official told the AFP news agency. The river is a crucial navigation route for the region, which has relatively little road infrastructure.
A separate attack targeted an army installation further east in the Bourem Circle, part of the Gao region.
With Thursday’s death toll yet to be finalised and many more injured in the attacks, Mali’s interim government declared three days of national mourning. Since its 2021 coup d’etat, Mali has been led on an interim basis by Colonel Assimi Goita.
A group affiliated with al-Qaeda has claimed credit for both attacks, according to the AFP.
