Mali govt officials visit violent region

Malian government officials visited the village in Central Mali in the aftermath of the massacre of more than 130 Muslims.

The delegation was in Ogossagou after the deadliest raid in the country in the last six years, which took place on Saturday.

Officials say the attack was launched early Saturday in the village near the border with Burkina Faso which has been the scene of intercommunal violence.

Saturday’s attack took place while a UN Security Council delegation visited the Sahel region to assess the security situation in the area.

Reports say clashes have multiplied in the community between the Bambara and Dogon ethnic groups, since the appearance of the Amadou Koufa-led jihadist group four years ago.

Mali’s government on Sunday announced the sacking of senior military officers and the dissolution of a militia, a day after the massacre.

The violence claimed more than 500 lives in 2018 according to the UN.